Possession
by donna8157
Summary: When Kaoru loses everything, she turns to the Hiten Mitsurugi Incorporated and asks to be taken in. Little did she know that she would lose all that she was before and become nothing more than an object, a possession. [KK] CHAPTER 24 UPLOADED
1. Happy Birthday

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Disclaimer : 

**Rurouni Kenshin belongs to Nobuhiro Watsuki, Shonen Jump, and Sony Productions.

**Synopsis:** When Kaoru loses everything, she turns to the Hiten Mitsurugi Incorporated and asks to be taken in. Little did she know that she would lose all that she was before and become nothing more than an object, a possession.

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**Possession**

Donna8157

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**Chapter 1 : Happy Birthday**

Kamiya Kaoru had firmly made up her mind for the tenth time that day. There was no other way than this. The company that had belonged to Kaoru's father had been having trouble and ended up going bankrupt. The devastation from the loss led to her father becoming critically ill and later on, his death. Because of this, her mother had become mentally ill and had to be sent to a mental hospital. When her father, who was the sole support of the family passed away and her mother went insane, Kaoru couldn't get her act together from the sadness that was brought forth to her. But at the same time, the young woman didn't want to breakdown and cry. She had to find some way to move on. It would have been something that her father would have wanted for her.

Kaoru raised her head and looked at the tall skyscraper that stood aloft in front of her. It was an extravagant building and it was so high that it seemed that the top reached above the clouds themselves. It made a person feel like an ant in comparison to its huge size. She gathered her nerves and took a deep breath as she took a step inside.

Hiten Mitsurugi Incorporated.

HMI was one of the most famous business groups in the country and it had grown exponentially over the past few years. It had wiped out most of the other smaller competitors. Standing inside the bustling building made Kaoru feel insignificant. But when she thought of her mother, she tightened her fist and continued walking. She could do this. She needed to this.

She took the elevator to the top floor and got off. Her heartbeat quickened so much so that she was afraid that her heart would burst from all the stress. Kaoru walked down the carpeted hall and entered through two large oak doors with gold ornaments lavished around it.

"How did you get in here?" a piercing voice ordered.

Kaoru jumped a bit out of surprise and fright when she heard the unwelcome voice. She looked at the thirty-something year old secretary and bowed down politely.

"My name is Kamiya Kaoru . . and . . and I want to see the CEO of this company."

The secretary snickered as she tilted her spectacles higher with her forefinger. Her gray eyes narrowed with a sort of haughtiness.

"You . . you want to see the CEO?" she said while looking at the girl with absurdity. She bit back another snicker. "Did you even make an appointment?"

Kaoru shook her head. "No . . I have –"

The woman looked away from Kaoru and began to tend to other business. "Well, then . . the CEO has other plans and has no time to see you. Why don't you go back?" She waved her hand towards the door almost as if she were shooing a fly away.

Kaoru started to feel a clinging desperateness welling in the pits of her stomach. She had to see him! She had come so far already. "Please! I have to see him right now!!!"

The secretary looked up at the girl sharply. "I told you! The CEO does not have time to see you!!" Her tone started to become higher and she was becoming annoyed with the girl.

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"Alright. Ah, what would you like for your birthday present, baka deshi? It's only two days away," a muscular, dark-haired man in a business suit said as he looked at his son.

"Birthday present?" the red-haired boy questioned with a smirk. He looked up at his father, the CEO of Hiten Mitsurugi Incorporated, Hiko Seijuro. Right at that moment, there was a big commotion outside of the room and the door was suddenly thrown open with a large bang. Hiko and the boy's head instantly shot towards the entrance.

"Hey! Get back in here! I told you that you can't!!!" the secretary screamed as she rushed towards another younger lady.

"What is going on here?" the CEO boomed in his thunderous voice as he saw the commotion going on around him.

The secretary instantly stopped in her tracks as she looked at her boss. Her face had turned pale as she tried to stutter an answer from her trembling lips. "It's . . sir . . it's"

The young girl who had rushed in instantly bowed low towards the man. "I'm sorry. I'm very, very sorry that I have caused a commotion. The reason I have come here is . ."

"Hey you! Get out!" A few large men wearing black suits and black sunglasses rushed into the room and grabbed hold of Kaoru's arms. They tried to pull her out of the room, but had trouble because the girl refused to cooperate.

"Wait," Hiko ordered as he looked at the pitiful sight. It must have been important if the girl had the nerves and wits to come all the way to see him.

At the boss's orders, the men moved back. The CEO then fixed his eyes on the young woman. Her eyes were covered by her long raven-black hair. The man was surprised to see that they held so much sorrow and pain within them. Her stiff face was circling with nervousness and her hands and knees were slightly trembling as she was put on the spot. Kaoru's body sunk down to the floor and she bent down on her knees. Everyone who was around was shocked at her actions.

"Take me in . . . I'll do anything. Please," she choked out as tears rushed forth. "I'm . . I'm begging you."

"What are you talking about?" Hiko asked with a tight-lipped frown.

The girl looked up and her blue eyes glistened with tears. She took a deep breath and mustered up as much courage as she could when she continued. "My . . my name is Kamiya Kaoru, the daughter of Kamiya Koshijirou."

Hiko nodded. He understood what was going on now. "Kamiya? I see . . the company that went bankrupt, am I not mistaken? It is very unfortunate and I'm sorry to hear that. It was a small business that had been growing. So what are you here for now? You don't suppose that I would take you in instead of the debt do you?" he asked as he looked down at her with a serious visage.

Kaoru bit her lips as she began to feel her cheeks become hot with embarrassment.

Hiko frowned. "Do you know how much that debt is? Do you think that you are worth that much? You're very bold. Fine. If I do take you in, how will that benefit me?"

The girl clenched her hands in determination as she looked up at him. "I . . I will do anything. I'll do my best," she said in a firm and even tone.

"Anything?" Hiko questioned unconvinced. "I don't think you're the type that would do anything. Anyway, I'm sorry that you had to face this kind of burden at such a young age, but there is nothing that I can do for you right now. What you're doing right now is reckless."

"Hiko-san!," she cried out with force. "I will not let you down! Please . ."

"Stop! I'm not the kind of person that has time to deal with these things! I have been generous enough to have listened to you until now. Please leave," he said as he turned around without giving her another glance. He gestured to the other men at the sides.

Fresh tears began to stream down the young girl's face as she felt rough hands grab onto her shoulders and arms. "Hiko-san!!!" she cried out once more. Kaoru quickly squirmed from out of the men's grasp and grabbed onto the CEO. The security officers quickly ran over and harshly pulled her off.

"Let go of him, girl!" one man said in a vehement tone.

"Hiko-san! Please think about it one more time," she choked out.

Kaoru tried to struggle loose from the men that were pulling her away, but to no avail.

_I can't leave this like_, she screamed in her head. _I had come so far. It had taken me so long just to gather up my nerves to come here. I can't . . I can't . . Please. _She looked back sadly at the man who owned the company. _Please . . think about it one more time._

"Hiko-san!," she continued to cry out as she was being dragged away. "Hiko-san!! Please!!"

After a few minutes, the shouting had finally drowned out and Hiko looked at his secretary with disdain. "If something like this happens again be ready to hand in your resignation, Miss Kei!"

"Yes . .yes sir."

"You can go now!" he said as he spat out his words angrily.

As he heard the door close, Hiko commented under his breath. "What a reckless young lady!"

Meanwhile, a young man stood by his father's side with a smug look on his face. Himura Kenshin could not wipe off the smile on his lips since the moment he had seen the girl named Kamiya Kaoru. She had done something reckless just like his father had said. How could the girl ask his father to take her in? That was absurd. Ridiculous! But for some reason or another, Kaoru's actions had made an imprint in his mind. Those tearful blue eyes that were hidden behind her long hair and her tightly shut lips that were trying to swallow back those tears.

All of that . . all of that triggered Kenshin's curiosity.

_Kamiya Kaoru, eh?_, he thought to himself. As Kenshin thought about the girl, a thought passed through his mind. Kenshin smiled complacently and looked over at his father. This would be perfect.

"Father, didn't you say something about a birthday present awhile ago?"

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- To be continued

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**Author's Notes :**

I hope you guys liked this chapter. Please leave a review so I know what you guys think of it and whether or not I should continue this.


	2. Doll

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Disclaimer : **Rurouni Kenshin is the property of Nobuhiro Watsuki, Shonen Jump, and Sony Productions.

**Warning : **Characters are OOC.

**Author's Notes : **Characters are around 18 years old. A more detailed overview of ages will be given later on.

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**Possession**

Donna8157

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**Chapter 2 : Doll**

"Mom, I won't be able to come as often now. Fortunately, Hiko-san has granted my request and I'll be able to go work for him. I'm . . I'm going to be busy so . . so don't be worried. Just .. just take care of your health," Kaoru said as she spoke to her mom who was sitting in a wheelchair. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes as she held her mom's still hand and looked at her face. She used to have such vivacity, such strength but now the woman looked like a mannequin. The girl could not tell whether or not her mother knew how she felt for since the day that her father died, Kaoru's mom had become emotionless. She very rarely talked and very rarely ate.

Even now with Kaoru's touching words, her mother's visage held no emotion. The woman just seemed to stare into thin air with her lifeless blue eyes. Seeing her mom in such a state grieved Kaoru more than anything else. It seemed as though her mother had given up on living. It seemed as though she had given up on Kaoru herself. A lone tear dropped from the girl's eyes. Surprised, she quickly hid her tears with both of her hands.

The young woman then heard some coughing behind her and turned around. There she saw a man in a black suit with sunglasses standing in front of a limo. A look of reluctance passed through Kaoru's eyes as she turned to her mom's face again and stared at it. She wanted to memorize every detail of her face, but more than anything she wanted for her mother to look at her again like she did before the business went bankrupt . . before her father died. But it would not happen.

"It's . .it's time for me to go now, mom. I love you. Take care . . and be healthy."

With Kaoru's last words, she kissed her mom's forehead ever so softly. She then started walking without turning back for a final look. Tears began to flow down from her eyes at the finality of it all.

_I love you, mom_, she recited in her heart as she stopped in front of the limo. The man opened the door for her and she got in. Then he got into the driver's seat and started the engine. She turned back and saw her mom's figure in the wheelchair. It almost seemed as if the mom was sad, too and understood that the girl was leaving.

As the car began to drive away from the hospital, Kaoru's heart began to ache as she saw her mother becoming smaller and smaller in the distance.

"Change into the clothes over there," a rough voice ordered from the front of the car.

Kaoru looked up and wiped off any remaining tears when she heard the blunt request of the man. She then looked over to the left of her and found a shopping bag on the seat. She reached over and opened the paper bag and like the driver had said, there were clothes inside. It was a white blouse and a two piece black suit with gray stripes made by Versace. Next to the clothes was a box of brand new pair of black high heels. They were such expensive clothes that Kaoru didn't immediately think of putting them on.

"Hurry up and change, girl. We're almost there," the driver ordered again as he took a glance at her from the rearview mirror.

"Here?" she asked a bit confused. "And in these kinds of clothes?"

"Yes," he said. The man then pushed a button that lifted up the darkened mirror in between the driver's side and passenger's side so that Kaoru would have some privacy.

"Y-yes, sir," she said as she carefully lifted each article of clothing out of the bag. She wasn't used to handling such expensive clothing. Kaoru then changed having no other choice. Fortunately, the windows of the limo were tinted so the interior was not visible from the outside and the inside of the car was large so there was no discomfort in changing. As the girl was in the process of finishing changing, the car had arrived at its destination and stopped.

"We're here. Get out," the brute voice ordered.

"Oh . . yes, sir," she replied as she finished putting on her high heels and got out of the car after the driver opened the door for her. The man looked at her a bit surprised at how different she appeared in these clothes. Kaoru looked attractive no matter what anyone said. The black suit had fit her well and brought out her blue eyes.

"This is 'Studio 57', a club owned by HMI. Please go in, I'll be going now," he said as he turned around and started walking back to the front of the car.

"Umm . . wait!" she called out as she reached over towards the driver's shoulder. The man turned back with an annoyed look on his face. She looked down, a bit intimidated by his fierceness and asked, "What . .what am I supposed to do here, sir?"

"You just have to go in." With that the man turned around and drove off.

Kaoru looked at the building with a feeling of foreboding. _What do they want me to do here?_, she questioned herself. The club had no windows and it seemed almost as if it were deserted. She took a deep breath and prayed as she started to go down the stairs and stood in front of the door. When she was about to open it, her fear got the best of her and she felt as though she didn't have the confidence anymore. Kaoru then pulled herself together and pulled open the door and went in.

The first thing the girl noticed was the strong stench of nicotine and sweat. It was suffocating. There was also loud rap music blasting in the background. As she looked around longer, she noticed that the club was quite large. The lights were turned down really low and she could hardly make out the faces of the people in the room. There were people drinking, dancing, playing pool, and there were some couples off in the corners making out. Not knowing what to do and feeling extremely out of place, Kaoru just stood there. Right at that moment, she noticed someone come towards her.

"You're here," someone said in an unemotional voice.

Kaoru shiver go down her spine and turned to the person who was talking to her. She felt her heart skip a beat as she looked at him. The young man had short red hair and purple eyes, but it was not those features that shocked her. It was how he looked at her. He had a cold and overconfident expression on his face and his eyes stared at her as if he were waiting for her to say something. He looked at her longer and smirked. He then turned around and yelled to the person standing next to the audio system, "Hey! Turn off the music!"

The music immediately stopped and the eyes of all the people in the club were immediately directed to the young man. Kaoru felt embarrassed as she felt everyone look at her. Her eyes widened when she felt the man wrap his arm around her shoulders. She looked over towards him with questioning eyes. A glint of mischievous flashed through his eyes as he looked at her and then turned back towards the audience.

"I want to introduce you all to someone. This is Kamiya Kaoru, the present that my father gave me!! It has finally arrived!! How is it?"

Time seemed to stop when she heard those words. What was he saying? What the hell was going on? A present? Her stomach started to do flips inside of her and she felt nauseous all of a sudden. She had no idea what was going on. She looked up and saw other guys giving her lecherous looks and women giving her dirty, hateful looks.

It was then that Kaoru heard a lot of people whistling.

"It's good," a masculine voice called out.

"Hey, I can't really see her face. Her hair is blocking the way," another called.

All the people around the club began to move in around her to get a closer look. She felt like she was some sort of creature at the zoo or some specimen that was to be examined under a microscope. She clenched her hands in fear as she felt everyone's gaze upon her. What could she do? She had sold herself to him.

"Wow! Look at those blue eyes. They're so pretty," someone commented.

"Man, she's a cute one," another said.

Everyone took their turns saying something about the young man's new "present".

"Since it's my birthday," the red-haired man offered. "I'll let you guys borrow her for today. Make her do anything because she'll do it." He said it with a boastful voice while his arm was still around her. "Isn't that right?" he asked as he looked down at the girl and snickered in a low voice. A smile began to spread on his lips. Kaoru finally understood to what extent she had become.

She felt that she wasn't treated as a person anymore.

Instead she was an object.

Only an object.

A mere possession.

She looked at the red-haired man and an image flashed through her head. How could she have forgotten? She remembered that there was a young man standing next to Hiko-san that day when she went to see him. Himura Kenshin. The young son of Hiten Mitsurugi Incorporated's president. When she had gone to see Hiko-san, Kenshin must have suggested that he give Kaoru to him as a present and his father had done just that.

"Oh! Is that right, Kenshin?" another voice called out, a bit skeptical.

Kenshin nodded his head.

"She'll do anything? This is going to be fun." Everyone's eyes seemed to shine with evil intent and delight.

"Then let's have some fun tonight! Turn on the music!" the lavender-eyed young man called out with a large smile. After the music was turned back up again, people started to move towards both Kenshin and Kaoru. A guy amongst the crowd went straight to the girl and took out a bottle of whiskey and waved it in front of the girl's face.

"Let's find out what her drinking capacity is," the man said.

The man with glasses grabbed hold of Kaoru's long hair and started pouring whiskey into her mouth. She struggled in shock, but the person holding onto her did not let her go. Tears started to form around her eyes as she squeezed her eyes shut in pain and embarrassment. After he poured the remaining whiskey into her mouth, he roughly let go of her hair.

Kaoru started coughing violently and fell to the floor. Her hair was in a complete mess and she felt all her self respect, pride, and dignity fall out from underneath her feet in that one action. What was she now? She was nothing. Nothing.

"What is this? You're not down already are you? You're too weak," the same man said as he narrowed his eyes.

"Hey Kanryuu! Stop it. If she gets drunk, she might vomit all over the place," Kenshin said as he looked over at the other man. Even though he did say that his friends could play with her, he didn't like seeing the guy grab her hair like that. After all, she was his and his only.

"Heh. You're right, Kenshin," Kanryuu agreed nonchalantly.

Kaoru continued to cough since she felt miserable from the side comments and looks she had been getting from the other people. She swallowed back her tears that were threatening to come out. _I'm not going to cry in front of them. Not them. Not ever_, she promised herself as she struggled to get back up.

"What's wrong with you? Get up now!" Kenshin commanded as he looked down at her pathetic form.

Kaoru tried to hold in her coughs, but to no avail. Her throat felt like it was burning and she started to feel dizzy from the effects of the strong liquor. But after a few minutes, she finally staggered up. One by one the people around her made fun of her. They trampled on her self respect as they enjoyed watching her weak self not do anything.

"Hey, go dance up there!" Kenshin called out as he pointed to the pool table at the side of the club.

Kaoru started to stagger towards the pool table and began clearing off the balls.

Annoyed, Kenshin shouted, "Just leave the damn balls and dance!"

Kaoru looked up at him, her eyes almost pleading for him to stop. The young man paid her no heed and instead called for the person standing near the audio system to turn the volume up. With the order, the music got louder and rung inside the club. Swallowing back any sense of pride left, Kaoru got up carefully on top of the pool table.

The people below hooted and whistled as they watched her stand there and Kenshin watched with a satisfied, smug look on his face. She felt as if she were a toy. Just some object for them to play with and discard later on. She shut her eyes as she stood there and began to move her body. It was extremely difficult for her to keep her to move around much for the alcohol had contorted her sense of balance.

"What's that? You call that dancing? Is that all you can do?" a familiar voice rang out. It had to be Kanryuu.

"Hahaha," a woman's voice laughed.

Kaoru's face turned red as everyone began to laugh at her. Anger and sadness began to well up in her as she bit her lips roughly. A metallic taste began to fill her senses as she started to move and sway to the music again. Everyone stared at her dancing for it reverberated sadness and pain. She was a little unsteady, but her movements were placid and beautiful. Just then, Kaoru stepped on a ball and lost her balance.

Her eyes widened as she felt that she was about to fall. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Kenshin, who had been watching her, quickly rushed to her side and caught her just before she hit the ground. Surprised, Kaoru looked at him, a bit unsure of what to do.

He quickly straightened her up. "Watch where you step, idiot," he muttered under his breath before he let her go. Then Kenshin went towards the pool table and moved all the balls. Afterwards, he got onto the table himself and gestured towards Kaoru to take his hand so he could pull her up. She took his hand and when they were both on the table, he started to dance. She noticed that everyone else started to follow his lead and started dancing also, forgetting about her for the moment.

Kaoru just stood there watching the man in front of her with a perplexed expression. His lavender eyes met with her blue ones and he leaned over to her ear and whispered, "You did well today, doll. I'll be expecting more next time. Now dance!"

After he said those words, Kenshin started to dance intensely. Kaoru's body became stiff and she couldn't move. His low voice was still echoing in her ears. She understood the meaning behind his words.

Now . .everything that was hers didn't belong to her anymore.

From that moment on, Kamiya Kaoru's life was handed over to Himura Kenshin.

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- To be continued

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**Author's Notes : **

Leave a review and tell me what you think. Thanks!

Special thanks to Boomerang-chan, Dragon Master271, Koishii, Ryoga, S3R3nity, Chibi Kiki, pink clove, Babo-chan, nobody, Reignashii, OniTokage, Ochanoko, Mz. Amber Eyez, and saotome for reviewing!


	3. Scarring

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Disclaimer : Rurouni Kenshin is the property of Nobuhiro Watsuki, Shonen Jump, and Sony Productions.

**Warning : **Characters are OOC

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**Possession**

Donna8157

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**Chapter 3 : Scarring**

After a long time had passed, everyone started to sit down and rest from dancing. Kenshin and Kaoru had also stopped. Sweat poured down from the young man's forehead continuously as he got off the pool table. He walked towards the chair at the corner of the club and started to fan himself. Kaoru obediently followed him.

"Hey . . someone get me some water!"

As Kenshin yelled, a person by the counter quickly brought over a bottle of water. He drank a gulp of it and then most of it over his head. He shook his hair and Kaoru felt some of the water droplets sprinkle onto her. Then Kenshin brought the bottle back to his lips again.

Kaoru watched the young man as he was gulping down the water. She was extremely tired also, but she was afraid to sit down so she continued to stand next to him. She then felt his eyes on her and looked up. Her pulse began to race when she saw that he was staring at her and her cheeks started to heat up once again. Then Kenshin held out the bottle of water towards her.

She stared at it blankly and hesitated to take it. She was afraid that he was going to do something nasty to her again. Kenshin scowled when he saw the unwillingness in her eyes. The boy smirked as he shook his head in disappointment and brought the bottle of water to his lips again. This time when he took a gulp, he didn't swallow.

He looked over at the girl and stood up. He cupped the back of her head with his right hand and pulled her towards him without giving her any time to react. His lips covered her own. Kaoru widened her eyes in fear and shock by his sudden action and tried to push him away, but he was too strong. She had no choice but to drink the water that was inside of his mouth. The water trickled down her throat along with a tear from Kaoru's sapphire eyes.

People around them started whistling.

"Go Kenshin!"

"Yeah!"

"Woohoo!"

"Oh my, how embarrassing," a girl commented.

Everyone had started cheering when they saw Kenshin kissing Kaoru. Kaoru's face turned red as she felt that all the eyes were upon them. She didn't like it. She despised it. And most of all she hated him. How could he treat her like this? How could she let him treat her like this? The girl balled up her fists in a last spurt of strength and punched him in the jaw.

"Uh! . . What the hell?" Kenshin interjected as he was pushed down onto the ground by the sheer force of her attack. He looked at the girl and saw that anger was seething off of her body, her eyes looked at him with such hatred that he felt chills go down his spine.

He couldn't let her get away with this.

The man quickly got up and clenched his fists until his knuckles became white. Without giving another thought, he threw a fist at the girl. His fist landed right on her face and she fell down onto the ground with a sickening crunch. Kaoru didn't move and it looked as if she was knocked unconscious.

Kenshin glared down at her with his piercing, cold eyes. His face contorted with anger and a streak of red blood flowed down on the side of his lips. He spat the blood out. He looked up at the others who were staring at him and his anger grew.

"What the hell are you looking at? You bastards!!"

Everyone flinched and quickly went back to his or her own business.

Kenshin turned back to the ground and looked at the girl who was lying limply on the floor. Her long hair was disheveled and completely covered her face. _How dare she reject me! No one rejects me_, he thought angrily. He wiped the remaining blood from off of his lips and then looked at the blood on his hand. Kenshin's face heartlessly contorted with unbridled rage.

The atmosphere became disturbingly quiet as everyone watched in fear of the red-haired man. They had never seen him this upset before.

Kenshin didn't care what the others thought. All of his thoughts were only directed to her. Kamiya Kaoru. _You'll pay dearly for this_, he promised. He then walked away towards the bar and started gulping down beer. After finishing it, he threw the bottle to the floor and it shattered into a thousand pieces. Afterwards, Kenshin went back to dancing.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as they saw Kenshin return to normal and started dancing with him in the center of the club.

No one paid any attention to Kaoru, who still had not moved from her spot on the floor.

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The girl felt someone shake her and she painfully opened her eyes. A man was looking at her with an expressionless face. It took her awhile to realize that it was the same man that had driven her to the club.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

". . Yes . . I'm . . ugh," she said as she began to get up. She moaned as she felt the pain in her face. When she was finally able to stand up, she looked around and saw that the place was empty. The party had ended and only silence circled the club.

She had been laying down there for a long time.

The driver looked at her with pity as he helped her walk towards the door and up the stairs. She bore with the pain that was shooting throughout her body and got into the car ever so carefully. The driver then closed the door and walked over to the front and entered.

Kaoru eye's fluttered as she felt herself relax inside the comforts of the leather chair of the limo. She was extremely tired.

The driver looked over at her through his rearview mirror sadly as he started the engine.

"I'm sorry . .I'm sorry that I made you come at this time," she told him, apologizing for the fact that he had to come back to the club that late at night to get her.

He looked up at her a bit surprised as his eyes softened. "There's no need to be sorry. This is my job."

Kaoru didn't know what to say when she heard the words of the blunt man and turned her head towards the window to look outside. Everything that had happened in her life passed in front of her eyes. Her father, her mother, her home, everything. Everything was gone now. She could never go back to that life that she had back then. Since her father had died, she had lost everything. Her house and all their money and savings had been taken. Her mother had a mental breakdown.

She was only eighteen. What could she have done? This seemed to be the only option. If she were to trade herself in for the debt, then maybe . . just maybe her mother could get better because there wouldn't be a debt over their heads anymore.

Her thoughts then turned the events that night. She thought about Kenshin feeding her water through his mouth and her face turned a dark shade of red. Kaoru unconsciously wiped her lips with her hand with disgust. She smiled bitterly as she thought of the situation she was in now.

_I have to be strong. This is only the beginning, _she thought.

After another thirty minutes, Kaoru found herself in front of a very luxurious residence. The driver opened the door for her and she followed him slowly up the steps towards the main house. Even amidst the situation that she was in, she couldn't help but be in awe and wonder of the beauty of the estate. There was a young butler that opened the front door and she went inside.

"Welcome to the estate, Kamiya-san," he said with a polite bow.

Kaoru couldn't help but smile at his politeness. She had forgotten about how it felt to be treated as an equal after spending that time at the club with Himura Kenshin.

"And you are?" she asked.

"Shinomori Aoshi, the butler," he said.

Kaoru smiled and nodded.

"This way please, Kamiya-san," he said as he gestured towards the stairs. "You're room is on the third floor, the second one on the right. I trust that you can find your own way?"

"Oh, yes. Thank you very much," she said as she began to make her way to the stairs.

"Oh, and Kamiya-san," he addressed. She turned back and looked at him questioningly. "Your clothes and other items are already in the room." The girl nodded as she turned around and went up the stairs.

As the girl went up the elaborate spiraling staircase she couldn't help but be in awe and wonder at the surroundings around her. _What would my father and mother say if they saw this place?_, she thought. But at the mere mention of her parents, sadness gripped her heart. She shoved it away when she finally reached the third floor. Kaoru carefully opened the door to her room and went inside.

Her blue eyes widened.

The room was humongous. It was too big to use alone. All the furniture in her room was clean and arranged properly. Kaoru sat on the bed after taking a good look around. She looked at herself in the vanity mirror on the wall and frowned. Her hair was disheveled and dried blood was caked on her lips. Her clothes were also a complete mess. She took a sniff of her sleeve and her nose wrinkled in disgust at the sudden barrage of memories from the club. The clothes reeked of the smell of alcohol and nicotine.

She was so exhausted that she didn't want to move, but she dragged her body into the bathroom anyway. After a quick shower, she came out and fell onto her bed. Kaoru fell into a deep sleep the moment she laid her head on the pillow.

* * *

[BEEP, BEEP, BEEP]

"Huh?" Kaoru looked around perplexed at the sudden noise coming from inside of her room. The sound was jarring and she finally found that it was coming from the intercom right next to the bed. She pushed a button to turn on the receiver.

[Do you know how many times the signal rung?!]

Kaoru recognized that the harsh, piercing voice on the other side was none other than Himura Kenshin. She quickly lowered the volume.

[Hello?! I want you to come into the door next to bathroom! Now!]

Kenshin roughly hung up not listening to Kaoru's answer. The girl quickly put down the receiver and opened the door next to the bathroom as the boy had told her. When she opened the door, she saw to her amazement that there was a much bigger room connected to her own bedroom. Her eyes were then drawn towards the window.

The young man was changing. Kaoru dazed off as she watched him standing there gracefully. His red hair was highlighted by the rays of the sun and his lavender eyes seemed ever so bright. It seemed like she was looking at a scene that could only be seen in a picture. She then noticed for the first time that there was a cross scar on his left cheek. She furrowed her brows in thought. _How did that happen?_

"What are you staring at? Come here and help me with my clothes!!" Kenshin ordered brutally and broke Kaoru's thoughts.

She blinked quickly as she came back to her senses and nodded. "Yes, sir." She quickly turned around and shut the door and then walked towards Kenshin. After she buttoned up his shirt, she started to put his tie on. The red-haired young man was very calm throughout the entire process as if he was already used to someone else helping him get dressed.

Kenshin looked down at the raven-haired woman who was at the moment still working on his tie. There was a scar on the left side of her lips that was from his punch yesterday. Without thinking, he lifted his hand and touched it. Kaoru instantly frowned from the pain of the sudden contact but continued to concentrate on his tie quietly. After she was done, she took a step back from him.

Kenshin, who still had his fingers on her lips until then, stared at his hand awkwardly and wasn't sure what to do with it. He grinned as if he were embarrassed and quickly shoved his hand into his pocket.

Not able to look back up at the young master, Kaoru dropped her eyes down towards the floor and found interest in her feet. Kenshin looked at her for awhile before talking.

"Are those the only clothes that you have?"

At the mention of her clothes, the girl quickly looked at herself. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a light blue shirt. They were the type of clothes that she enjoyed to wear the most. Kaoru felt uncomfortable wearing anything else other than that. _Are my clothes not good enough for him either?_, she thought. Then she remembered the Versace suit that she had on yesterday and understood why he was commenting on what she was wearing at the moment.

"I . ."

Kenshin didn't bother to listen to her and instead went to the drawer at the side of his room and took out his wallet. He pulled out a few bills and threw it onto the floor carelessly near the girl's feet.

"You're mine. I cannot tolerate you going around wearing those shabby clothes. Buy some clothes similar to the one that you wore to the club yesterday! You can keep whatever money that's left over." He took a few moments as he studied her and added, "And . . I'm telling you this right now, if you don't come right away the next time I call you it will be unforgivable."

He looked at her coldly with his lavender eyes and walked out of the room without giving another glance at the girl. Kaoru stared at the money that was scattered around the floor and when she heard that Kenshin had left, she slowly bent down onto the floor to pick up the bills.

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- To be continued

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****

**Author's Notes** :

Please leave a review! I always enjoy reading any comments or criticisms. I know Kenshin is a "bastard" in this fic. (Lol) But I'm still in the process of developing his character. It'll take some time.

Special thanks to nobody, rkfan246, super, koishii, Ochanoko, Lendra-chan, ryoga, Chibi Kiki, S3R3nity, Anonymous, Reignashii, Battousai-Lover, OniTokage, kik-ting, pink clove, chibi frog, Mz. Amber Eyez, Babo and Mimi for reviewing!


	4. First Day

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Disclaimer : **Rurouni Kenshin is the property of Nobuhiro Watsuki, Shonen Jump, and Sony Productions. 

**Warning : **Characters are OOC

* * *

**Possession**

Donna8157

* * *

**Chapter 4 : First Day**

Kaoru stared at the money with dull eyes and then slowly reached out her hand to pick it up. They were all five hundred dollar bills. Money, to him, that meant nothing. The girl's eyes became watery as she stared at how careless he had thrown it at her. Once again she realized the situation that she was in and she laughed pitifully at herself. The area around her eyes became red and it seemed like tears were about to flow out at any second.

_What have I become now?_, Kaoru asked herself as she picked up the last remaining bill from off the carpeted floor. _Like Kenshin said, I'm just a doll._

She walked out of the room and then went into her own room. When she stepped in, a young maid greeted her warmly. She had vivid green eyes and had her hair tied up in two braids.

"Hi Kamiya-san," she said with a bright smile.

Kaoru looked up, a bit surprised by her friendly tone. "Hello."

"I thought I would check in on you and see how you're getting along," the girl said. Her green eyes flashed with delight as she looked around the room, checking to make sure that everything was clean.

"Thank you," Kaoru said with a shadow of a smile.

The maid finally looked back at Kaoru and took a good look at her. "You're kind of pretty," she said. "By the way, my name's Makimachi Misao. I'm one of the maids here."

"Oh . . . nice to meet you, Makimachi-san," she said with a short bow. "My name is Kamiya Kaoru."

"Okay, Kaoru-san it is then. And please call me Misao. I don't like it when people around my age address me by my last name. It makes me feel really old," she said with a pout as she placed her hands on her hips.

"Oh? How old are you, Maki . . I mean Misao?" Kaoru was genuinely surprised. The girl looked much younger than herself.

"I just turned eighteen," she said as she gave a small twirl on her heels. "I'm finally old enough to get married to Aoshi-sama." Kaoru noticed how quickly her jade eyes had turned dreamy when she thought of the man. A heartfelt smile appeared on her lips.

The maid saw it and laughed. "Oh, you should smile more Kaoru-san! You look so much prettier!"

The girl laughed along with the maid. Things might not be so bad after all.

Misao then walked over to Kaoru's closet and pulled out a few clothes. "Anyway, Master Himura wanted me to tell you that he wanted to you to wear this for today." Kaoru looked at the clothes on the bed and saw that it was another expensive suit. The maid then started to leave the room. "Oh, and Kaoru-san? After you change, make sure that you come down to the dining room."

"Okay. Thank you," she said as she started to pick up the clothes.

"Well, it was nice meeting you!" Misao said with a smile and a wave before closing the door behind her.

* * *

Kenshin's mother and father were already in the dining room eating breakfast when Kaoru came downstairs. When she saw them, she hesitated before going inside.

The mother saw her figure standing there and stopped eating. Kaoru couldn't help but stare at the woman. She was absolutely breathtaking. She had hazel eyes and dark black hair tied up in a tight bun. Everything about the woman screamed that she was strong and powerful. However, the same could not be said for the Mrs. Hiko's reaction towards Kaoru. The mother's eyes scanned the girl's physique up and down with dissatisfaction.

"Is this the girl?" Mrs. Hiko asked in the coldest most demeaning voice possible.

"Yes," Hiko said as he continued to eat and read the paper. He didn't bother looking at his wife.

The older woman narrowed her eyes as she pointed to the young girl with distaste. "Is she even worth all that money?" The mother acted as if Kaoru wasn't even in the room.

"Well," he said as he took a sip of his coffee nonchalantly, "we'll just have to wait and see."

Kenshin, who was also seated at the breakfast table, looked over at the Kaoru. "Don't you have manners? Why don't you say hello?"

Kaoru looked at the boy surprised and quickly bowed. "I'm sorry. I'm Kamiya Kaoru."

Kenshin's mom didn't even look at Kaoru and passed by her without saying anything. The girl had never felt so little in her entire life.

"Come sit and eat," Hiko called out as he pointed to an open chair. The girl nodded as she rapidly walked over and sat down. A maid brought over some toast, eggs, and orange juice and placed it in front of her. Kaoru slowly lifted her fork and started eating. Kenshin, who was sitting across from her, stopped eating and looked at her. The girl ignored his stare and continued to quietly eat with her head lowered. After a few minutes, the young master who had been staring at her, slammed down his spoon and got up. Surprised, Kaoru lifted her head up and looked at him.

"Hey, baka deshi! I don't want you throwing one of your little tantrums around the house!" Hiko said with his eyes narrowed.

More anger built up inside the young man when he heard his father berate him. He narrowed his eyes at the girl. "Hurry up and come out! I hate anything slow!" With that said, he left the room. A sigh flowed out from Kaoru's lips when he left for she felt relieved. The father looked over at the girl and grunted.

"Well, I got to get back to work. Enjoy your breakfast," Hiko said as he stood up and left the room with the newspaper in his hands.

"Thank you, sir," she said as she quickly finished what was left on her plate.

Kenshin and Kaoru sat in the back seat of the limousine. The boy was looking outside the window with his arms crossed and the girl sat quiet with both hands placed on her knees. He then dug a cigarette from out of his pocket and lit it. Kenshin took in a deep puff of the nicotine and blew out the smoke towards the woman. She scrunched her nose up in reaction. Then he handed the cigarette he was smoking to Kaoru.

She looked at it for a long while before replying. "No . . I . . I don't"

As Kaoru became flustered, Kenshin smiled in absurdity and brought the cigarette back towards his mouth. After awhile, the car stopped in front of the school that he attended, Three Willows High School. The second the car stopped, she rapidly got out and opened the door on his side. Kenshin got out and walked towards the building while she was left behind to retrieve his backpack and books. Kaoru then followed him inside.

As Kenshin and Kaoru stepped inside the school, everyone's gaze instantly became fixed on them.

"It's Kenshin. Who's that with him?"

"She's kinda cute."

"I heard that she sold herself to him," another voice whispered.

"Ugh. What kind of girl would do that?"

All the stares and whispers made Kaoru feel uncomfortable and only served to deplete whatever pride she had left. She looked over at the boy and he seemed to be unfazed by what was going on. He must not care. _After all, what they're saying is true_, she thought as a deep pain clenched itself around her heart.

"Hey! Kenshin!"

Someone recognized Kenshin and ran towards him. There were three of them. Among the group, two of them Kaoru remembered from the club. Kanryuu and the girl companion that he had with him. The other person was someone she had never seen before. He had dark brown hair, clear cut features, and dark blue eyes. The way that he was smiling softly had only added to his charm.

The group of three came towards Kenshin and stood in front of them. The guy that Kaoru hadn't seen before was the first to speak.

"Sorry I couldn't go yesterday, Himura-san. Something suddenly came up." He smiled politely as he shrugged his shoulders. Kaoru felt as though she couldn't take her eyes off of the young man. He seemed so nice.

"Something? Something so important that you couldn't attend a friend's party?" Kenshin accused jokingly with a frown playing on his face.

"Haha . . sorry. I couldn't get myself out . .," he paused as he shifted his attention to the girl companion who was standing behind his friend. His eyes widened in surprise. "Eh? Who's this? It's the first time I've seen her. Why doesn't she have a uniform on?"

The girl next to Kanryuu smirked as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "It's Kenshin's birthday present, right?"

"Present?" The boy looked incredibly confused.

"A very grand present. Haha. You should have been there, Soujiro," Kanryuu added.

Kaoru felt insulted by their unhesitant words, but what they said was true. She couldn't contradict it.

Soujiro looked between Kaoru, Kanryuu, and the other girl. "What? You guys know each other already? What do you mean by present?"

"My birthday present, Kamiya Kaoru. There was a welcoming party yesterday at the club!"

Soujiro continued to look at the girl with confusion playing in the pools of his eyes. "Hi. I'm Seta Soujiro," he introduced himself as he thrust out his hand towards the girl, who had her head slightly lowered. The girl had a perplexed expression on her face and didn't immediately go shake his hand. She looked over at Kenshin, but he ignored her. Kaoru, who was staring at Kenshin, turned her head towards Soujiro and slowly stuck out her hand and shook hands with him.

"I'm . . Kamiya Kaoru."

A serene voice flowed out of Kaoru's mouth as she introduced herself. After the handshake, Kaoru tried to take out her hand from Soujiro's, but he held onto it and didn't let go. She widened her eyes as she looked at the boy, but then quickly dropped her eyes to the floor again when she was met with Soujiro's intense gaze. Soujiro smiled at her awkward behavior and finally let go of her hand.

"You have a nice voice, Kamiya-san. You should talk some more. I like hearing it."

Kaoru looked up a bit surprised by the boy's flattering words and felt her cheeks heat up. Kenshin noticed this and grimaced.

"Why don't you get going now? Go do some shopping with the money that I gave you and then come back to school!" he commanded in a cold and harsh voice.

Soujiro looked up. "What? Then Kamiya-san isn't transferring to our school?" he asked doubtingly.

Kenshin ignored his friend's question and directed his anger at the girl again. "Didn't you hear me? Hurry up and go!"

Kenshin's brute voice reverberated inside the hallways of the school. Kaoru quickly bowed and walked out of the building. The young master watched her with his face flushed with anger.

"What is wrong with you, Himura-san?" Soujiro said with a disapproving frown on his face.

"It's nothing!" he shouted with a frivolous wave of his hand. "You guys just take your minds off of her!" He stomped off to class with his last words.

Soujiro's brows knit together as he watched Kenshin's form retreat into the classroom. He then looked over at Kanryuu and his girlfriend, Kaede. "What is wrong with him? Why is Himura-san acting so cold to Kamiya-san?"

The dark-haired man with glasses smiled wickedly. "Well, yesterday at Kenshin's party . . ."

Soujiro's eyes widened as he found out more about what had happened that night. Kanryuu and Kaede could not wipe the grin from off their faces as they retold him the story. The frown that had presently been on the boy's face only grew deeper and deeper.

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- To be continued

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**Author's Notes : **

Please read and review! Thanks much!

Special Thanks to rkfan246, cyjj, super, koishii, Lendra-chan, Ochanoko, tooQie, Chibi Kiki, Mimi, S3R3nity, Ryoga, saotome, Reiganashii, kik-ting, nobody, Babo, Lilliana Moon, kenshin's angel, Illusions-chan, Mz. Amber Eyez, Battousai Lover, and gaby (hyatt for reviewing!


	5. Rose Petals

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Disclaimer : **Rurouni Kenshin is the property of Nobuhiro Watsuki, Shonen Jump, and Sony Productions.

**Warning : **Characters are OOC.

* * *

**Possession**

Donna8157

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****

**Chapter 5 : Rose Petals**

Kaoru was sitting inside the limo looking out the window when the car had stopped in front of the Armani clothing store. She looked at the expensive shop without getting out. _I don't need such expensive clothes_, she thought. Making a decision, she turned towards the chauffeur.

"I'm sorry, but can you turn the car around and go to a nearby mall?"

The man made a disgruntled sound as he looked at her, "Excuse me? But young master had said . ."

"Please," Kaoru requested politely and the chauffeur nodded as he drove by to the nearest mall.

When they arrived, the girl got out and quickly made her way towards Macy's, one of the largest department stores in the shopping area. While she was looking at the clothes, an employee came over with a smile and recommended a few outfits. Kaoru took the three pairs of suits that the employee had hand-picked out and headed towards the counter without trying them on.

"The total comes out to be $453.45. Will you be paying by check or credit?"

"By cash," Kaoru said as she took out a few of the bills. The employee's eyes widened at seeing the amount of cash the girl had on her and gave her the most flattering smile possible. She put the items in a bag and gave it to Kaoru. The same thing happened to her whenever she would hand people money. The attitudes and expressions on people's faces visibly changed she noted with bitterness. It saddened and angered her that people could change so quickly when money was at play. Were people ruled by money that easily?

When she finished, she walked back to the limo and left for school again. By the time she arrived, the students had already finished their second class and were staring to have their break time. Kaoru walked to Kenshin's classroom and noticed that many people's eyes were on her. She shook it off and continued walking. As she opened the door to the class, she noticed that Kenshin was sitting in the very back of the room by the window with his eyes closed, arms crossed, and legs on the desk. Kaoru went towards the boy and stood next to him without saying a word.

The other students quickly noticed her presence and did not hesitate to look behind to gawk at her. There were whispers here and there about the girl. Kaoru pushed back those whispers and stood still and held whatever pride she had left. It was at that moment that Kenshin opened his eyes and glanced at the girl next to him.

"You're back earlier than I thought."

Kaoru looked back at him uneasily. "Yes, sir."

"Well, go to the cafeteria and buy me a drink," he ordered as he closed his eyes again.

"What kind of . ."

"Anything!"

His rough voice interrupted her before she could finish her question. Everyone had become still when they heard how upset Kenshin sounded. Kaoru nodded and left to go to the cafeteria. She came back a few minutes later with a can of coke. The young man looked at the soda that she had brought back and spoke impudently.

"I don't drink Coke! Get something else!"

Kaoru furrowed her brows. "Yes, sir." She went to the cafeteria again and this time she brought back orange juice. He glanced at the drink in her hand and scowled.

"I don't want orange juice either!"

The girl grimaced as she threw the drink out angrily as she went back to the cafeteria. This time she brought various types of drinks and went back to Kenshin's class. At that moment, the bell, that announced that classes were to be resumed, rang. The boy smiled when he saw her come back.

"Looks like you're using your head now. I don't want any of these. Go back and buy me a bottle of water!"

The students looked back at Kaoru and felt compassion for her. The guy was behaving like a spoiled brat, an asshole even. But no one had the courage to voice their thoughts aloud. No one could touch him at school. Even the teachers couldn't lay a finger on him. The power and influence that Himura Kenshin and his family had was known throughout the school and throughout their city, possibly even the entire country. So they just remained quiet and watched.

Meanwhile, Kaoru who was at the ends of her nerves had balled her hands into a tight fist. She took a deep breath as she tried to calm herself. _Be strong, Kaoru. Stay calm. _When she came back to the classroom, class had already started and the teacher was at the front lecturing. The male teacher looked at Kaoru with surprise when she came inside.

"Excuse me, are you in my class? I'm in the middle of teaching right . ."

_COUGH, COUGH_

The teacher looked over towards the back and saw that Kenshin was "coughing" and the girl that had just come in begin to walk towards him. He didn't bother finishing his sentence and continued his lecture again, completely ignoring what had happened.

"Now, class. Where were we?"

Kaoru handed Kenshin the bottle of water. He drank of gulp of it and then opened the window and threw the bottle out into the field. He crossed his arms again and closed his eyes as he ignored the girl's presence. Kaoru stood behind him feeling miserable. All throughout the next two classes, she continued to stand behind the young man. Once the fourth class ended, Kenshin went to the cafeteria to have lunch with the girl following a few feet behind him.

"Himura-san!" Soujiro waved as he saw him come into the cafeteria. He then noticed Kaoru. "Ara? Kamiya-san is here, too?" He smiled brightly with his eyes shut as he mentioned her name. He had felt saddened and upset when he had heard about what had happened to Kaoru that night at the club.

"Is what Takeda-san told me true?" Soujiro asked in a low voice making sure that the girl wouldn't hear him.

"Yeah," the other said nonchalantly.

The blue-eyed boy widened his eyes when he saw how quickly he answered the question without any hesitation. How could Himura-san act so indifferent to her situation? He then glanced at the girl who was behind him. His eyes glossed over as he looked back at her. They had definitely trampled on her pride. How could they do that to someone?

Kenshin and Soujiro walked over to a table and everyone around the area moved out of their way. Before they sat down, Kenshin looked over at the girl behind him.

"Go get me some fried rice and get Soujiro some curry and rice."

Kaoru nodded and started to walk towards the line when Soujiro suddenly placed a hand on her shoulder. "No, it's all right. I'll get my own, Kamiya-san."

Kenshin narrowed his eyes. He didn't like how the other boy had his hand on her. "Just sit down, Soujiro!"

Soujiro looked over at the girl and she nodded her head, indicating for him to sit down. The boy sighed as he complied. He felt terrible as he watched her walk towards the line for food. A few minutes later, Kaoru brought over a tray and placed the plates of food in front of the both of them. Then she took her place and stood next to Kenshin.

"Kamiya-san, aren't you going to eat?" Soujiro asked with concern.

"I . ."

"Go get your food and eat!" Kenshin spat out in an annoyed tone. Kaoru agreed and quietly went to get her food. Soujiro leered at Kenshin. He did not like how his friend was behaving. What was wrong with him anyway? He had never acted like this before.

After getting her food, Kaoru sat down at the table next to theirs and started eating. Soujiro then took the opportunity to speak to Kenshin.

"I don't like how you're behaving, Himura," he said in a low tone so that she wouldn't overhear them.

"What?" Kenshin said loudly. He could tell that the boy was upset because he had addressed him without a –san, but shook it off and ignored him.

Soujiro's eyes widened. "No! I mean .. forget it." The boy said the words vehemently as he saw how his friend was acting. He then looked over at Kaoru and saw another person coming towards her.

"Ha. Look .. the doll is eating," Kanryuu said with pleasure.

"Of course. She'll need the strength to do everything she's told," Kaede added.

Kanryuu smirked as he watched her eating quietly with her head down. He smiled mischievously when he saw some roses off to the side. He picked the petals off of a few of them and sprinkled them onto Kaoru's food. She looked at it dumbfounded and stopped eating.

"What? You don't eat rose petals? If you're a doll, you should be able to digest this stuff," Kanryuu said with a repulsive smile decorating his face. Without saying a word, the girl picked up the fork and continued to eat the rice and rose petals with an expressionless face.

"Ohoho . . it looks like our doll enjoys it," Kaede laughed.

"Haha."

Kaoru continued to eat even though the two continued to mock her. Soujiro, who had been watching, felt anger well up in the pits of his stomach. He slammed his eating utensil down on the table loudly and got up. His dark blue eyes were narrowed and he looked at the two of them intensely. Kanryuu and Kaede swallowed hard when they saw how upset Soujiro was. In fact, they had never seen Soujiro show any other expression other than a smile. Seeing this scared them no doubt.

Soujiro walked over to Kaoru's table and took the fork from out of her hand and threw it on the ground.

"Takeda-san, what are you doing? How can you treat Kamiya-san like this?"

Trying to gain some semblance of courage, Kanryuu laughed. "Well, she's just a doll."

That was quite possibly to worst thing to say in light of the situation and only served to fuel Soujiro's anger more. "What? I would apologize right now if I were you." An undeniably strong ki started to flow from off of the boy as he kept his eyes locked onto the two of them.

"Hey Soujiro . . come on, we were just fooling around."

"You call this fooling around?" he asked and then looked at Kaoru. "You should say something too, Kamiya-san. Don't let them treat you like this!"

"I'm . .okay," she said in an almost inaudible voice.

Soujiro just looked at the girl wide-eyed. He didn't know what to say. How could she let them do that to her? He looked back up at the two and then to his surprise, noticed that they had already left. He then turned his attention back to Kaoru.

"Hey Soujiro, aren't you gonna eat?" Kenshin called out. Soujiro who had been staring at Kaoru absent-mindedly was brought back to his senses with Kenshin's voice. He took a deep breath to control the anger and frustration that had been bubbling off of him and went back to his seat. Once he sat down, Soujiro watched as Kaoru started to eat again. Both the rice and the fallen petals. A deep frown etched onto his face as he watched her.

He had lost his appetite.

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- To be continued

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**Author's Notes : **

Please leave a review and tell me what you think of this so far. Expect to see an important RK character show up in the later chapters! =D As for the pairings in this, you'll just have to wait and see. I don't like giving anything away. hehe . . I'm evil like that. Also .. no, Kaoru has not finished high school.

Special thanks to rkfan246, Mz. Amber Eyez, cyjj, Erica, Ochanoko, Ryoga, Kairi7, Lendra-chan, Spike-Faye, Oni Tokage, Chibi Kiki, S3R3nity, Ice Angel Kaoru, Battousai-Lover, super, nobody, Reignashii, Babo, kenshin's-angel, saotome, chibi frog, xxsilentxdreamerxx, and cattleaya for reviewing!

I recognized many of you as reviewers from my other fics and I just wanted to thank you again for reading and reviewing this one too =D I hope you'll like this story as it delves deeper into the storyline. Lol. I know that this Kenshin is quite different from the other ones I've portrayed. It's just that I wanted to write an angst fic instead of the usual.


	6. Old Friends

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Disclaimer : **Rurouni Kenshin is the property of Nobuhiro Watsuki, Shonen Jump, Viz, and Sony Productions.

* * *

**Possession**

Donna8157

* * *

**Chapter 6 : Old Friends**

_COUGH, COUGH_

Kaoru had gone to the bathroom right after lunch and threw up everything that she ate. It wasn't the rose petals had upset her stomach, but it was because of Kanryuu and Kaede's insults and her crumbled pride. When there was nothing left to throw up, Kaoru sank down to the bathroom floor and laughed bitterly at the situation she had put herself in now. After a while, she got up and walked towards the sink to wash her face.

_I know I was ready to face these kinds of things when I had asked to be taken in. I've got to be strong no matter what. Even if something worse were to happen, I should be prepared. It would look badly on me and my parents if I were to go against what the Himuras say. After all, I was the one that put myself in this position._

She then looked up in the mirror and saw her reflection. She had changed so much in those past two days. Her eyes which once held youthfulness and vivacity, now seemed dull from all the blows she had to her pride and self respect. Kaoru gently touched the scar on the side of her lips and a small choke of sadness echoed from within her throat. She closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath as she recited to herself to be strong. Afterwards, she walked out and went back to class. She stood behind Kenshin throughout the rest of the day and by the time classes were done, Kaoru felt like she was going to faint. But she grit her teeth and bore with it.

At the end of the day, Soujiro came by to see Kenshin.

"Himura-san," he started in a flat voice without saying hello. "I hope you didn't forget that Sagara-san is coming tonight at nine."

"Yeah."

"I won't be able to go meet him because I have to go see Okita-san. What about you?"

"I'll have to go."

"All right. Tell Sagara-san that I'm sorry for not going." Soujiro turned around without a word of good-bye. It was unusual that Soujiro's anger towards Kenshin did not dissipate by the end of the day for usually the boy could forgive his friend. However, the way that he and those other two treated Kaoru really grated on his nerves.

After Soujiro left, Kenshin walked out of the classroom with Kaoru behind him carrying his bag. When they got inside the limo, the man noticed the shopping bag full of clothes. He raised one of his eyebrows.

"What is that?"

Kaoru, who just got in the automobile, looked at him in confusion.

"I asked what that was," he said while pointing to the bag on the seat.

"Oh, I went to the mall today and . ."

"Mall?"

"Ye . ."

Kenshin cut her sentence short and shouted towards the chauffeur in the front. "Didn't I tell you to take her to Armani?"

The driver looked up at the man through his rearview mirror and slunk back further in his seat. "Uh . . yes sir . . that . ."

"The driver took me to Armani, but I asked him to take me to the mall instead. It wasn't his . . ." Kaoru began to explain to Kenshin as she looked at him. But Kenshin paid no heed to her and continued to yell at the driver.

"I told you to take her to Armani. How dare you disobey my orders! I think it'll be good if you get ready to hand in your resignation!"

"No! It's my fault. He doesn't have . ."

"Shut up! I'm talking to the chauffeur, not you!" Kenshin yelled as he glanced at Kaoru angrily. He then looked over at the driver again. "My orders were first, but you go to the mall just because she wanted to? Stop the car now!!"

The limo came to a screeching halt.

"Get out!" Kenshin yelled at the chauffeur.

The driver's eyes widened in disbelief. "E-excuse me, sir?"

Kenshin got out of the car with a huff. Kaoru quickly followed him, not understanding what was going on. Then the man shut the door and walked over to the driver's seat. The girl watched him stupefied. The chauffeur quickly got out of the car also after seeing the young master walk towards him.

"You're fired!!" he dismissed as he pointed to the man and then looked back at the woman. "Get back in the car! Hurry up!"

Kaoru looked at the other man in shock when she heard the word 'fired'. The driver didn't know what to do as he stood there unmoving.

"I told you to get in!"

She looked over at the driver with sorrowful eyes. "I'm sorry .. I'm really sorry." Her face turned red as she realized that her words wouldn't change Kenshin's decision. She bowed to the chauffeur and apologized again. Then she got into the car. As they drove off, Kaoru looked back and saw that the driver was still staring into space, numbed by what had just happened. She felt as though she couldn't take her eyes off the back for she felt that it was all her fault.

Kenshin drove the car skillfully without a word and then stopped in front of the Armani clothes store. He turned off the engine and went to the backseat to grab the shopping bags that Kaoru had bought that morning. He then walked towards the garbage cans on the streets and threw the bags inside. The girl watched all of this in shock.

"Follow me!" he said as he walked inside the Armani store. He had acted as if nothing had happened.

Kaoru took one last look at the garbage cans before going inside. _Of course those things would be worthless to him_, she thought in irony.

The interior of the small store was very elegant. As Kenshin walked in, a man smiled brightly and greeted him warmly. He had dark-bluish hair and brown eyes. Kaoru thought that the man could even pass for a woman if he had wished.

"Oh my, if it isn't Himura-san! You haven't been here as often. I have some wonderful new things for you to try on." The man then looked and noticed Kaoru behind him. "Oh! Who's this? I see you brought a beautiful lady with you."

"I want you to choose a few outfits that will suit her, Kamatari."

The man clapped his hands together in excitement. "Oh! Yes, come here!"

Kenshin sat down on one of the posh sofas as he waited for Kaoru to try on different clothes.

"Why don't you try this on? Go over there and change," Kamatari said as he motioned towards the back.

The girl went into the dressing room to change into the clothes that the man had picked. After changing, she opened the door and walked out. She was wearing a brown two piece suit on.

"Oh my! This looks wonderful on you!" A smile spread on his face as he looked her up and down. Then he motioned for her to go show Kenshin.

"Isn't it beautiful on her? Actually, I think anything would look beautiful on her," he said as he twirled her around.

But Kenshin shook his head from side to side. He didn't like it much. Kamatari then went through the clothes to find another outfit for her. While Kaoru waited, she couldn't help but look down at the price tag that hung in the sleeve of the suit. Her eyes widened when she saw the price.

_Two thousand?! How can one suit cost this much?!_, she thought in alarm.

Kenshin, who had been watching her from afar, grinned when he saw her reaction. He knew what she was thinking. Then he got up from the couch and started to sift through the clothes that were on display. In the end he picked out a black suit, a gray suit, and a dark blue suit. He handed them to Kaoru and she went to change into them.

Each of the three suits looked magnificent on her, especially the dark blue dress top and skirt that matched her eyes. In the mean time, Kamatari had also chosen two more pieces that he thought would look good on her. When Kenshin was about to pay for the clothes, Kaoru tried to refuse by saying that she couldn't accept such an expensive gift. But because of Kenshin's obstinacy, she had to accept it in the end. The total came to be over ten thousand dollars. He didn't even blink as he paid the entire amount with his credit card.

"Good bye Himura-san! Hope to see you again sometime soon!" Kamatari said as he waved good-bye.

As Kenshin and Kaoru walked out, Kamatari followed them with a loathsome smile on his face. The girl couldn't help but feel a bit disgusted.

This was a world where everything and anything could be done with money.

And Kaoru . . she was nothing but one of the victims to that filthy money.

* * *

By the time they had gotten out of the clothing store, it was already 8:15 pm. His friend's plane was to arrive at 9:00. Kenshin and Kaoru quickly got into the car and he drove to the airport. The person that they were going to see was Sagara Sanosuke, Kenshin's childhood friend. He was coming to Kyoto to see him. After they arrived, Kenshin parked the car and looked at his watch.

8:45 pm

"If we hurry up, we'll get there on time."

They got out of the car and made their way to the waiting area and watched as people swarmed in and out of the terminals. It seemed like Sagara had not come out because Kenshin continued to search for him amongst the crowd of people. He looked at his watch once more and lifted his head, this time seeing a familiar face come before him.

"Sano!" Kenshin called out while waving his hand in the air. The person that got called looked at Kenshin and rushed towards him with a look of joy.

"Kenshin!"

Kaoru watched as the other man came into view. He was very tall, had cinnamon brown eyes, and had brown spiky hair with a red bandanna tied around it. He looked at Kenshin with an impish smile on his face as he approached. He was quite handsome in the loose white T-shirt and jeans and Kaoru noticed many young women giving him second glances.

"You're still the same as ever, Kenshin! Still a midget!" Sanosuke said with a laugh as he came within a few foot's distance.

The girl widened her eyes when she heard him insult the other man. She was surprised to see that Kenshin only laughed it off in response.

"Well, where's Soujiro?" Sano asked as he looked around.

"He couldn't come because he had to visit Okita. He wanted me to tell you that he was sorry."

"Really?" he said with an overly dramatized tone of disappointment. "I really wanted to see the guy. Anyway, how's he doing? Is he still the same?"

"He's doing fine and he's still the same as always."

"Always smiling, huh?" Sano asked.

"Of course."

"Well, let's go," the spiky-haired man said as he began motioning for Kenshin to go. "I'm kind of tired from the flight. Huh?" The man stopped when his eyes fell on the girl wearing a business suit who stood behind his friend. It was hard to see the contours of her face because she had her head down. "Who's this, Kenshin?"

"My doll."

"D – doll?"

"Forget it. Let's just go," he said as he grabbed onto Sanosuke's arm and started walking out. Kaoru's face darkened sadly when she heard Kenshin introduce her as a doll. She then reached out her hand for Sano's bag. When he didn't let go of it, Kaoru looked up at him. He smiled at her warmly.

"It's okay. I'll carry it, jou-chan"

"No, sir." She rejected Sano's kindness and reached for his bag again. A look of sadness rose in his face.

"Hurry up," Kenshin said.

"All right," he said as he finally let go of his bag. Kaoru watched Sanosuke walk away. She liked her first impression of him. His friendliness and the playfulness in his eyes made a person feel comfortable. She watched as Kenshin and Sano talk animatedly to each other and couldn't help but feel a bit surprised. She had never seen Kenshin so talkative, so friendly. The woman came back to her senses and then started to carry the baggage to the parking lot. His bags were put in the trunk and the three of them began to head towards the Himura household.

"Uh? What the . . are you driving?" Sanosuke asked a bit befuddled when he saw Kenshin sit in the driver's seat.

"Yeah . . . something happened," Kenshin replied stiffly as he turned on the engine.

"W. wait," Sanosuke stopped him and quickly put on his seatbelt before the man could back out of the parking lot. Then he smiled at Kenshin feel reassured once more.

"Okay, let's go." The red-haired man grinned at his friend's actions and started driving. When they were on the road, Kenshin spoke again. "You should've come in time for my birthday."

"Oh yeah, that's right. It was your birthday yesterday. Nineteen, huh . . "

"So you do know. How long are you staying this time?"

Sanosuke looked thoughtful for a moment and then replied, "Let's see . . I think I'll just stay here from now on."

"I don't believe that. You're always traveling around places, Sano. I thought you liked China anyway."

"I'm serious this time."

"Really?"

"Yeah, my father didn't say anything about it. Plus I feel much more comfortable here than back there in China."

As Kenshin and Sanosuke continued to have their conversation up front, Kaoru couldn't help but feel that Kenshin treated the other man differently than his other friends. The boy's rough and cold personality was softened in front of Sano. She looked at the brown-haired guy through the front mirror. At that moment, Sano had looked into the mirror and his eyes met with hers. Kaoru became flustered, but he only smiled. When Kenshin looked in the mirror at his friend's smile and Kaoru's red face, he grit his teeth slightly. Sano, who had been looking at her through the mirror, turned around and looked at her.

"What's your name, jou-chan?"

"I . . I'm Kamiya Kaoru, sir."

"Sir?" the guy asked with a surprised look on his face. "You don't look any younger than me. How old are you?"

"I'm eighteen, sir."

"Sir again! Stop saying that. I'm only nineteen, you know," he said while making a slight pout with his lips.

"Leave her alone! She's doing it because she feels comfortable with it," Kenshin said while keeping his eyes on the road.

"Yeah right, Kenshin. Speaking like that is more comfortable than talking informally . ."

"No, this is more comfortable for me, sir," Kaoru lifted her head and spoke with a serious look.

Sano looked at her and stuttered, "Well . . I guess if you want to . . but I really hate it."

"That's enough talking. Do you want to go to my house or do you want to go grab a drink somewhere?"

"Let's just go home. I want to take a shower and get to bed."

Kenshin looked over at his friend. "_You_ don't want to drink? Are you really Sagara Sanosuke?"

Sano crossed his arms and gave him a disgruntled look. Kenshin laughed. "All right, let's go home then."

Sanosuke stretched his body and soon fell asleep in the front seat. Kaoru found herself thinking about him. Even though she had just met him, she thought that he was the type of person that made a person feel comfortable. With him around, she felt more relaxed. As she thought of that, she smiled a ghost of a smile and turned her head towards the window. Kenshin noticed it and scowled.

* * *

_Forty Minutes Later_

"Sano. Sano! Get up. We're home."

"Huh? What?" Sano asked sleepily as he rubbed his eyes. "We're here already?"

"Yeah, let's go in," Kenshin said as he got out of the car.

The brown-haired man stretched his arms again and opened the side door. He was about to follow Kenshin inside, but then saw the girl getting out the bags from the trunk. Sanosuke walked towards her and began helping her to move them out from the trunk. Right then, Kenshin called out to him again.

"Sano! Hurry up! My father's waiting to see you."

"Uh. All right, wait," Sanosuke said as he tried to take the bag from Kaoru's hands, but she didn't let him.

"It's okay. I can carry these. Why don't you go in, sir?"

"Hurry up!" Kenshin yelled from afar.

Sano stared into Kaoru's eyes and then went inside as his friend had urged. "All right, all right. Keep your pants on, I'm coming!" He then looked back at the girl and said softly, "I'm sorry to make you go through all this trouble, jou-chan."

"It's okay, sir."

Kaoru watched Sanosuke walk in and carried the bags into the house. Mr. and Mrs. Hiko welcomed the boy as he came inside and started to have a lively conversation. When Kaoru came inside, Kenshin instantly moved to look at her without him even realizing it. The girl went up to the third floor and placed the bags in the room across from Kenshin's. Afterwards, she walked into her own room and fell onto the bed. It had only been two days since she started living like this but she was already so exhausted. Not only physically, but also mentally. She felt her nerves were always on edge when Kenshin was around. While Kaoru had let her thoughts wander, she fell asleep before she realized it.

* * *

[BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP]

Kaoru woke up shocked and looked at the clock. It was 12:15 am. She rapidly picked up the receiver.

[Come to my room now!]

Kenshin's angry voice dug into her ears. After she got up and fixed her clothes, she walked out of her room and into his.

_SLAP_

Kaoru stood there aghast as she moved her hand to cover the spot on her cheek that the boy had slapped. It was turning red.

"I told you I hated anything slow! You better not be rebelling against me!" he said as his eyes flared in anger.

"No, sir . . I . ." Before Kaoru could finish her sentence, the man slapped her again. Blood started to flow from her lips.

"Here! Take this key and get my coat from the car!"

"Yes, sir . ."

Kenshin threw the keys onto the floor and Kaoru picked them up and left the room. He glared at the door as she walked out of the room. For some reason, anger rose inside of him whenever he looked at her, whenever he thought about the way she acted towards him. He didn't like the way she did everything she was told to do with an expressionless face. And whenever he saw her with another person, it was like that person was fanning his heart that was already on fire.

As Kaoru walked out, she wiped the blood from off of her lips with the back of her hand. Unwanted tears started to flow from her eyes. While she stood in front of Kenshin's door, the door across from the room opened and Sanosuke walked out. Kaoru looked at him surprised and the other looked at her shocked when he saw the thick red liquid flowing from her lips and the wetness on her cheeks.

"What's wrong? What the hell happened, jou-chan?"

"I'm . .okay," she said as she looked down and tried to hide the redness.

Sano quickly walked towards her and tilted her head up, trying to get a better look at her wound, but Kaoru pushed his hand away. She slightly bowed and walked passed him. As she began to walk down the stairs, her stomach started to churn in nausea and embarrassment filled inside of her.

_I didn't want him to see me like that. I didn't want him to know that what Himura does upsets me. I have to be strong._

She didn't want to show a person that she was weak. Meanwhile, Sanosuke watched her as he opened the door to Kenshin's room.

"Are you asleep?"

"No, come in Sano."

"I can't seem to fall asleep even though I'm tired. Maybe it's because I slept in the car . ."

"Come here and sit."

"Well, Kenshin . . I have a question . ." he said as he scratched the back of her head. The image of the girl was still in his mind. _Could Kenshin have done that to her?_

"What is it?" Kenshin said as he narrowed his eyes. He had a feeling about what Sanosuke was about to ask.

"That girl . .what is she . . really?"

"Who . . Kamiya Kaoru?"

"Yeah."

"I told you already. She's my present," Kenshin said with a sardonic laugh.

"Don't joke around. I'm being serious here," Sano said as he crossed his arms in front of him.

"It's the truth. She sold herself to my father and he gave her to me as a present. That's why she can't retaliate against me and she does whatever I tell her to. It's like a kind of contract," Kenshin said as he looked up at his friend.

Sano remained silent as he looked at him with a dumbfound expression. Just at that moment, there was a knock at the door and when Kenshin said to come in, Kaoru walked in. She gave Kenshin his coat and placed the keys on the table. Sano watched her and all signs of her being sad were wiped away. It seemed as if nothing had happened.

"You want to have a drink?" Kenshin asked Sanosuke as he threw the coat onto the bed.

Sano continued to absent-mindedly stare at Kenshin after he told him what had happened. He found himself at a loss for words.

"Go downstairs and get some liquor." When Sano didn't answer, the red-haired man turned towards Kaoru and ordered her to do so.

"Yes, sir," she answered shortly and walked out of the room. The spiky-haired man's eyes followed her as she left.

Soon afterwards, Sano looked at Kenshin again. "Ha! What are you talking about, Kenshin? Did she really sell her life to you? Do you think I'm that stupid that I'd believe that?" he questioned in an agitated and disbelieving voice.

"If you're that curious, why don't you ask her yourself? She should be thankful to me," he said arrogantly.

"What . .?" As Sanosuke continued to question Kenshin, he found out more and more about what had happened that fateful day when Kaoru had all but barged into those doors of Hiten Mitsurugi Incorporated. The boy had elaborated on the parts where she was even to the point of begging her father to take her in. Different feelings started to flash through Sanosuke's eyes as he heard what his friend was saying. He was shocked that the girl could have done such a thing.

"How . .how could. ." he stumbled as he searched for an explanation. _But she had lost her father .. maybe her mother also .. and had no money. She must have not had anywhere else to go or else she wouldn't have put herself in this situation._

At that moment, Kaoru knocked on the door and came in with a bottle of vodka. Sano looked at her speechless. When she passed him a shot glass full of the hard liquor, the man started drinking and continuously poured it into his throat. He had been upset by what Kenshin had told him. Meanwhile, Kenshin accompanied his friend and also unceasingly drank. The young woman watched them for awhile before getting up to go back to her own room.

"Where are you going? Come here and sit down!" Kenshin ordered as he pointed to an empty chair.

Kaoru turned around, a bit confused as to why she should stay there. She hesitated for a moment longer before going to sit in the large red leather chair next to the young man. Kenshin then refilled his glass with alcohol and pushed it towards Kaoru. She looked at him slightly shocked.

"Drink up!"

Kaoru held back for awhile at Kenshin's stern words, but she slowly picked up the glass and closed both her eyes and emptied the glass in one draft. A hot, stinging feeling flowed down her throat as she felt the liquid go down. She wrinkled her brows in reaction to the pungent taste. A warm energy rose from her stomach to her face and her cheeks and neck instantly turned a red hue. She set down the glass on the table again while Kenshin refilled it.

"Drink!"

Kenshin watched as Kaoru as she took a deep breath and emptied the glass yet again. When she put down her cup, liquor was poured back into it. Her face had now turned a light red hue. She reached for the glass once more and closed her eyes and drank the liquor again. When she had emptied the third glass she started to feel dizzy.

"Stop it! It doesn't seem like she can drink that much," Sanosuke said as he stopped Kenshin from refilling her glass. Sano took the shot glass and turned it over.

"Didn't I tell you, Sano? She drank a whole bottle of whiskey and still danced and did all the errands. How can she not drink. Right?" he said as he looked over at the girl with a boastful smile while waiting for her to agree with him.

"That's enough. Just go back to your room, jou-chan," Sano had said with a tight frown as he looked at the girl who looked like she was about to faint.

"Go where? She's going to stay here," Kenshin said in a low, strong tone of voice.

"Hurry up and go," the other man had all but shouted. But even at Sanosuke's urgent words, Kaoru did not seem like she was about to get up.

"You see. . .what did I tell you? She listens to whatever _I _say. Haha . ."

Sanosuke wrinkled his forehead in sheer frustration. Nothing he was saying or doing was helping the situation. The girl continued to just look down at the ground. How could she sell her life because of some money? Having enough of it, he growled, "Aargh! I don't know. You guys settle it on your own. I'm going to my room." He shook his head not wanting to think about it anymore as he got out of his seat and went back to his room.

"Sleep well!" Kenshin said as Sano slammed the door. After he left, Kenshin turned over the glass and filled it up with liquor once again. Kaoru lifted her head and looked at the glass that he had in his hand.

"Drink."

Kaoru started to drink from the glass per his order. After seven glasses, she couldn't take it anymore. She quickly got up and ran to the bathroom with a hand covering her mouth.

_COUGH, COUGH_

The girl bent over and vomited and coughed into the toilet. The influence of the alcohol had made her dizzy and nauseous. She felt so weary that it seemed as if she was drained of all energy. Then she felt a warm hand pat her back.

It was Kenshin.

When Kenshin had seen her rush to the bathroom, he had followed her. He went towards the girl and lightly patted her on the back. After vomiting, Kaoru weakly fell against the toilet with her eyes lidded shut and mouth still half open from exhaustion. The vodka had started to show its effect and she was so worn out that she couldn't move a finger. Kenshin squat down on the tiled bathroom floor to look at her and couldn't help but chuckle at her expression. It was just so . . for lack of words . . . unlady-like.

After a few minutes, he poked her in the shoulder lightly. "Hey, get up." But the girl didn't respond. Her face had an abnormally tomato red hue to it and feeling a bit worried, Kenshin placed a hand on her forehead. His eyes widened when he found that she was burning hot.

Thinking quickly, he picked her up with his two arms and moved her into the bathtub and turned on the shower. The cold water that was coming out of the showerhead smoothly fell onto Kaoru's body and clothes. She flinched at the sudden coldness, but didn't have the strength to open her eyes and her entire body felt too weary to move.

Kenshin watched her steadily as the water came down and his vision became hazy. The water began to soak into her clothes and it clung to her curves. Her face was now a light red color and her eyes were still closed. There was a small scar on the side of her lip from that time that Kenshin had hit her. The young man felt as if he couldn't take his eyes off of her. As he stared at her lying in the bathtub, he felt a strange feeling overcome him. He began to feel a little lightheaded and the inside of his mouth felt parched. While he watched her ,it seemed as if time had stopped.

Kenshin slowly moved his body towards Kaoru and before he realized what he was doing, he had placed his lips on hers. The water from the shower dropped onto his body and soaked both his hair and clothes, but he didn't notice it at all. He only felt Kaoru's soft lips and her scent that intoxicated him. He then felt a small shiver that traveled from her lips to his own. Kenshin came back to his senses abruptly and pushed himself away from her in shock. His eyes widened at his own actions.

_W – what . . what are you doing?, _he thought as he touched his lips with his fingers and turned his head away from the girl. The feeling of Kaoru's gentle and cold lips remained. His heart started to hammer against his chest deafeningly and his whole face was aglow as he thought about what he had just done. The feeling that he had when he kissed her this time was completely different from yesterday's kiss at the club.

"C-cold. . c-cold," Kaoru murmured as she turned in discomfort. Kenshin quickly looked back at her and noticed that the water had filled up half of the tub. Her entire body was shivering. The man quickly turned off the water and lifted the girl from out of the bathtub. He laid her next to the wall and the girl started trembling more from being exposed to the cold air. He then got a warm towel from off of the racks and started to dry her hair, face, and body as much as possible.

Afterwards, he carried her out to his room and put her gently on the bed while placing the blankets and comforters over her. As he did so, he couldn't help but continue to watch her. There was still some hair covering her face and Kenshin brushed the few strands back as gently as possible with his fingers, hoping not to wake her. Kaoru had for that moment took over Kenshin's entire senses. He listened to her quiet breathing and smelled her bodily scent. His fingers still tingled from that moment he had briefly touched her cheek and the taste of his lips on hers still lingered. The way the moonlight had cast a soft shadow on her face, her long eyelashes, and her pink petal-like lips mesmerized his eyes. He did not know it, but he smiled for that brief moment as he gazed at her. The girl was deep asleep, but Kenshin felt like she would open her eyes at any second. He began to feel strange again as he continued to look down on her sleeping form. As he felt that, his face flushed red and he quickly looked away. He then walked to the table and picked up the bottle and started gulping it down.

_What is it? Why . .w-why do I feel like this? . . Why?_

As he sat down on the carpeted floor, he could feel Kaoru tossing and turning about in his bed. He brought the bottle of liquor back towards his mouth and shut his eyes as he tried to banish her from his thoughts.

-

-

-

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- To be continued

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**Author's Notes : **

Whew .. that was a really long chapter. Please read and review! Thanks much! Okay, very important note about Kenshin in this fic:

Many of you have been wondering why he's been acting so terribly mean to Kaoru or to be blunt, acting like an asshole. Well, so far in this story I haven't delved into his character or past. Nor have I given much mention to his feelings or thoughts (at least until this chapter). You'll see his character mature throughout the story, just don't expect it to happen so quickly.

And finally about the pairing: I'm sure you can tell by the end of this chapter which pairing I'm going for.

Special thanks to azulene, nobody, Pia Bartolini, rkfan246, Ryoga, Mimi, super, Raeyn-chan, Battousai-lover, cyjj, Jen, Tenshi-no-Hana-chan, Oni Tokage, Himura-chan, Piper, cattleaya, kik-ting, Ochanoko, Chibi Kiki, Lendra-chan, Mz. Amber Eyez, gaby(hyatt, Kairi7, Reignashii, kenshin's-angel, S3R3nity, xia xue, and Erica for reviewing!


	7. Hangovers and Spilled Coffee

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* * *

Disclaimer : **Rurouni Kenshin is the property of Nobuhiro Watsuki, Shonen Jump, Viz, and Sony Productions.

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**Possession**

Donna8157

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**Chapter 7 : Hangovers and Spilled Coffee**

Rays of bright sunlight slipped through the curtain into Sanosuke's room. The man blinked at the unwelcome light and stretched his arms and legs as he turned around lazily to look at the clock. It was already 10:30 am. His head was still pounding from all the vodka that he had drank the other night. As he sat up he placed his two hands on his forehead to try to lessen the headache.

He grunted as he finally got up out of bed and stumbled towards the bathroom. He went over to the sink and splashed some water on his face. As he looked at himself in the mirror, he saw that his eyes were still a bit bloodshot and his brown hair was ruffled into a complete mess. He frowned at his image.

_Better start getting ready for the day. It's already so late, Kenshin is probably already at school. Hmm . . .I wonder what I should do today? _

After brushing his teeth, he had a shower and got dressed. Then he walked downstairs.

"Oh Sano! You're awake already?" an energetic voice greeted him.

Sanosuke looked up and grinned. "Why, if it isn't the little weasel girl? You've grown since I last saw ya!"

Misao narrowed her emerald eyes and then laughed it off. "Since you just got here, I'll spare you from my wrath." She smiled wickedly and then added, "Rooster head."

"Hey!" Sano said as he crossed his arms in front of his chest and gave a masculine grunt. "I resent that!"

"Now we're even," the young maid said as she smiled triumphantly.

The young man laughed as he walked towards her. "I missed ya, weasel girl."

She smiled warmly and embraced him. "I missed you too, rooster head."

"Umm . . anyway," Sano said while breaking the hug. "Why were you surprised that I was awake? It's not that late is it?" he said as he scratched the back of his head and looked around.

"No, but you're the first one up."

"Huh?" Sano asked befuddled. "What do you mean?"

"Himura and Kaoru-san are still asleep."

"Really?" he said as he looked upstairs. "Well, I'll see ya around. I gotta go check up on those two." He went back upstairs with his hands thrust in his pockets and walked towards Kenshin's room. _I can't believe Kenshin didn't go to school. Just how much did they drink last night?,_ he thought as he knocked on the door.

No one answered.

Sano jerked the door open and the sickening odor of liquor filled his nostrils. The man wrinkled his nose in disgust at the sight and smell of the room. There were bottles and fallen shot glasses everywhere. _Geez, he used to be such a clean freak, too¸ _he thought as he kicked some of the empty bottles out of his way and walked towards the bed.

He found Kenshin spread out on the floor and Kaoru sleeping soundly on his bed. Sano shook his head at the absurdity of the situation and picked up a bottle from the floor and looked at it. _Damn . .three entire bottles of vodka. .and they're all empty. _He went over to Kenshin's body and squat down.

"Hey Kenshin! Get up! You have to go to school . ."

"Mmm . ." Kenshin moaned as he turned the other way to block the unwelcome noise.

"Get up!!!!" Sano yelled as he poked him hard in the shoulder.

"Ugh . . shut the hell up. My head's ringing . ." Kenshin slurred out as he creased his face at the loud noise. He covered his two ears with his hands.

"I can't believe you drank this much man . . ." Sano said with a disapproving look and then added with a smirk. "You're only allowed to drink this much when I'm around." He smiled and winked. Kenshin chuckled despite the throbbing pain in his head.

"I don't know . . my head hurts . . ." the red-haired boy drawled out as he got up into a sitting position. He laid his back on the wall as he put his head on his knee.

"You're such a slacker, Kenshin. Do you know what time it is?" Sano asked while pointing to his Rolex watch with his finger. "It's already 11:00am! You've already missed half of school!"

"Eh? When did you become such an exemplary student?" Kenshin said with a playful smirk.

"Get up and let's go eat," Sano said while helping his friend stand up. He then went towards Kaoru, who was still lying peacefully on the bed. She was asleep and her face still held a faint rosy blush from the alcohol from last night. Sano smiled as he looked at her and couldn't help but be reminded of the story of "Snow White" and the kiss from her Prince Charming. His cinnamon eyes flashed mischievously and he kissed her lightly on the cheek. Kenshin who had been watching the entire time became wide awake and looked at Sano, surprised by his actions. Sanosuke looked back at his friend and smiled impishly and shrugged.

"I couldn't help it. She looked so cute there and with her eyes closed. She reminded me of that story, Snow White."

Kenshin ignored him and walked over to Kaoru with his face stiffened and pulled the comforters roughly off her body.

"Get up!!! We're late!!"

Kaoru shot up from her lying position with her blue eyes wide awake and in shock at the sudden obtrusive sound. Sanosuke turned back towards his friend, surprised by his behavior. Meanwhile, Kaoru looked around in confusion as her cheeks were beginning to turn crimson from embarrassment.

_This is Himura's room. How did I get in here?_, she wondered. Her head ached badly and she placed a hand over her forehead as she cringed from the dull pain. She then got up from the bed and quickly hurried to her own room when she saw that the two of them were looking at her. As Sanosuke watched the girl, he covered his mouth trying to hold in his laughter. The way that she had turned red so quickly was just so innocent . . so cute. When she was out of hearing range, Sano finally let loose his laughter.

"Haha. Kenshin did you see? Jou-chan looked so confused and her face turned so red. It's so cute," he bursted out.

"What's so cute about it? Don't just stand there laughing! Help me throw out these bottles," Kenshin said as he began to pick up the trash around him.

Sano sighed and bent down to help. During the entire time, Kenshin did not speak a word to his friend. When everything was clean again, Sano left the room and Kenshin went to the bathroom. He roughly shut the door and leaned against the wall. His face was flushed crimson.

_Damn. What is this? What is this . .this feeling I have when I see her?_, he thought as he walked over to the sink and splashed some cold water on his face to clear his thoughts.

* * *

When Kaoru had returned to her room she took a deep breath as she closed her eyes. _How come I don't remember anything from last night? The last thing I remember was throwing up in the bathroom_, she thought as she massaged her temple with her forefinger. She looked down at her clothes. _And why . .why are my clothes like this? They're wet, _she thought as she picked at the hem of her skirt. When she turned around to go to the restroom, she suddenly staggered feeling dizzy.

She was feeling slightly feverish from what had happened the previous night and she felt a chill in her body. Kaoru leaned against the wall for awhile to regain her balance before she hurried to the bathroom to take a quick shower. Afterwards, she changed into the new suit that Himura had bought for her at Armani. It was a black dress suit with a white blouse.

Then she headed to Kenshin's room. She knocked on the door, but no one answered. She carefully walked in and noticed that he wasn't there. As she looked around his room, she noticed for the first time how sparse it was. There were no posters, no pictures, no normal teenager things that decorated his room. Kenshin had only the necessities: a few books, a laptop computer, a desk, drawers, and of course a bed. It was a surprise to her that he didn't even have a television in his room. Even Kaoru herself, when her father had been alive had at least a television and DVD player in her room. With as much money as the Himuras had, how come Kenshin didn't have one?

When she was about to walk back, she heard the click of Kenshin's bathroom door. She turned around a bit flustered by his sudden appearance. He was naked from the waist up and had a towel wrapped around his head. He was thin, but had a nice muscular physique. Her face instantly turned crimson when she realized that she had been staring at him for some time.

"Ano . . I came to help you dress," she stuttered as she tried to avoid his eyes.

"Get my uniform out of the closet," Kenshin commanded without taking a second look at her as he started to walk towards the window.

"Yes, sir," she replied astutely as she walked over to the closet. She opened the door and found a couple of pairs of the same uniform hanging inside. She picked one out and brought it over to Kenshin. She helped him get dressed and later went down to the dining room with him. Sanosuke, who had come down earlier, was sitting there chatting to Shinomori Aoshi, the butler.

Sano smiled and waved as he saw them come inside. Aoshi nodded at both the young master and Kaoru before taking his leave.

"I was wondering when you guys were gonna come down. I was starting to die of starvation!" He then added slyly as he looked over at Aoshi who had just left the room and motioned with his thumb, "and die of boredom." Kenshin didn't even chuckle when he heard his friend whisper the last few words and sat down next to him. Kaoru remained quiet also. The other man sighed as he looked between the two. The atmosphere just seemed so tense. Nothing he could say could break it.

"I'm going to transfer schools soon," Sano said as he started to eat the lunch that had just been set out for him.

"To our school, right?"

"Of course," Sano said and then he looked at the girl. "Do you go to Three Willows also, jou-chan?"

Kaoru's face reddened as she looked down at the food in front of her. She didn't know what to say.

"Kind of," Kenshin replied for her.

"What do you mean . . kind of . ." he asked suspiciously.

"Well, she goes to school, but she's not a student," Kenshin replied as he took a sip of the iced tea.

"What?" Sano asked, not completely understanding what he had said. "Why is it so confusing?"

"Forget it and let's just eat," the red-haired man said as he concentrated on the chicken soufflé in front of him. Sanosuke glared at Kenshin while the other man ate. He didn't like Kenshin's tone of voice and whatever he had meant by Kaoru going to school, but not being a student. He then focused his attention on the girl sitting across from him and his eyes saddened. She was eating her food slowly and did not look up.

* * *

_Three Willows College Preparatory School_

Kenshin, Sanosuke, and Kaoru had arrived at school a little after the fourth class of the day had just started.

"And so now we're brought to the topic of mitosis. There are five . ."

In the middle of class, the back door had opened and the three of them entered. At first the teacher was about to reprimand them for coming in so late, but when he saw that one of them was Himura Kenshin he kept his mouth shut and went back to the lecture. Kenshin sat down at the back of the class in his usual seat next to the window while Kaoru stood behind him. Sanosuke looked between Kaoru and Kenshin as the teacher started to talk about one of the stages of cell division.

_So this is what Kenshin meant by saying that Jou-chan went to school, but was not enrolled as a student._

Sanosuke walked over towards where Kaoru stood so that she wouldn't feel so awkward standing by herself. She looked at him with widened eyes when she noticed he was there.

"Just keepin' you company, jou-chan," Sano said with a wink.

Kaoru blushed and a small smile appeared on her face.

Sano couldn't help but feel drawn into that smile. The way that her face had lit up in that one fleeting moment, it made her seem so beautiful. Even though it was so slight and had disappeared as quickly as it had come, the man felt happy. He just wanted to see more of it. Seeing it had made him feel as if he was seeing another part of her. A part of her that she had hid from all of them.

" . . . and so in the G1 phase . ."

The teacher continued on with the lecture, ignoring the two people standing in the back. The female students who were in the class couldn't help but take sneak peeks of Kenshin's new male friend. He was tall and extremely good looking. The way that he sauntered in the class and the way that he dressed in just a plain T-shirt, jeans, and a red bandanna in his hair made him look like the stereotypical bad boy. Some of the girls in the classroom giggled obnoxiously while trying to catch his attention. Sano didn't seem to care as the other girls gawked at him for he just took comfort in the fact that he had made Kaoru comfortable.

"Hey jou-chan," Sano whispered as he lightly poked her in the arm to get her attention.

Kaoru quickly looked up at him with her blue eyes and waited for him to continue talking.

_COUGH, COUGH_

Kenshin pretended to cough and turned around in his seat as he heard Sanosuke whispering to Kaoru and frowned. His friend was looking at her so intently and the girl seemed to reciprocate the same expression. Anger suddenly rose inside of the boy for no reason as he looked at the girl.

"Go get me a cup of coffee!!" he spat out.

The teacher flinched at the loud command that burst forth from Kenshin's mouth, but disregarded it as he continued on with his lecture. Meanwhile, Sanosuke looked at Kenshin in shock, but the other man had already turned back around in his seat and was now facing the front again. Kaoru's face had stiffened upon hearing Kenshin's words and immediately left the classroom. The spiky-haired boy glared at the other for awhile longer before following Kaoru outside.

Seeing that Sano had left with her, a brash fury over him and he kicked the empty desk in front of him.

_Crash_

The teacher cringed at the sound as he wiped off the sweat with his handkerchief and carefully started teaching again. A while later, Kaoru came back into the class with the cup of coffee in her hands. Kenshin scowled when he noticed that Sanosuke was standing side-by-side with her.

"Here, sir," Kaoru said as she placed the cup in his hands.

Without thinking rashly and letting his anger completely blind him, Kenshin took the cup and threw the contents of it onto her face. The coffee wet the girl's hair and flowed down her face and clothes.

"This is cold!" he said as he crossed his arms and turned back around to face the front.

"Kenshin!" Sano shouted. "What the hell are you doing?" He quickly took off the bandanna from his forehead and began wiping Kaoru's face, hair, and clothes. _What the hell has gotten into him? I've never seen him like this_, Sano thought as he clenched his jaws tightly.

"Are you okay, jou-chan? Did you get burned?" he asked with concern in his eyes as he looked into her eyes. Kaoru quickly turned her eyes away from him and nodded.

"I'm fine, sir."

The rage that Kenshin felt inside of him was only fueled stronger when he heard Sanosuke talking to Kaoru in such a private manner.

"Go get me another cup of coffee!!" the boy said coldly as he briskly turned around in his seat once more.

"Kenshin!! You!! . .You. ." Sanosuke didn't get to finish his sentence as he saw Kaoru leave the classroom once more. Suppressed anger burned within the depths of his eyes as he looked at his friend and then followed the girl outside.

The classroom, which was once a learning atmosphere had become a battleground with its warlike ambience. Electricity seemed to crackle in the air. The teacher who stood up front didn't know what to do and continuously wiped the cold sweat that poured from his face.

" . . I . . I'll end . . to – today's class . . up to here . ." he said in a small voice as he turned to face the class. As soon as he finished, the teacher walked out of the room as if he were running away.

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- To be continued

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**Author's Notes :**

Please read and review ! Thanks!

I know you guys want Kenshin to mature quickly . . but it's going to take awhile. =) It just wouldn't seem right if he did a complete 180 by the next morning. Hehe.

Special thanks to Oni Tokage, Ryoga, Lil-Sun-Rie, cyjj, Himura-chan, Alli, TimeWarper, Ochanoko, Kairi7, saotome, cutie-chan-XD3, Chibi Kiki, Coodle, Boomerang-chan, Reignashii, super, Spike-Faye, S3R3nity, Piper, MizzLee, kik-ting, Lendra-chan, Vic'chonn, rkfan246, Raeyn-chan, De Lazy Lime, xia xue, Melanie, Azulene, Angelsangel, rain angst, Mz.Amber Eyez, Anonymous, black hearted kid, Leki, and nobody for reviewing! I really appreciate all the support you've given me. =) Thanks.

Also . . this was the last chapter that I had written out so I won't be able to update on an everyday basis like I have been, but I promise that the next chapter will come out soon.


	8. Of Kindness and Fury

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Disclaimer : **Rurouni Kenshin is the property of Nobuhiro Watsuki, Shonen Jump, Viz, and Sony Productions. 

* * *

**Possession**

Donna8157

* * *

****

**Chapter 8 : Of Kindness and Fury**

After the teacher had left the room, the students sat in their seats, bewildered and a bit frightened of the situation that was at hand. But none dared to raise their voice against the young man. Himura Kenshin was a name to be feared. They had heard many rumors of him banishing students from their school just because the boy didn't like the way that they looked at them. And none of the students in that classroom had wanted to leave the institute. Three Willows was a preparatory school for both gifted kids and those who were well off financially that wanted to attend Ivy League schools in other countries. It was because of that reason that they continued to carry on and opened their books instead of looking at what was going on behind them.

"Are you okay?" Sanosuke asked for the third time as he tilted Kaoru's chin up so that he could see if she was okay. She flinched as he did so.

"I'm fine, sir," she said as she tried to turn her head the other way. Sano furrowed his brows.

"Stop being so stubborn, jou-chan. This is for your own good," he said.

This time Kaoru turned and looked up at him willingly. Sanosuke's eyes widened. Her forehead was slightly red from the hot liquid.

"What do you mean you're all right?!?! You're forehead is red! Follow me," he said as he dragged her outside of the classroom to a nearby water fountain. He wet his red bandanna with the cold water and placed it on her forehead gently. As he was about to clean off the coffee from her hair and clothes with some paper towels, Kaoru stopped him.

"I'm okay, sir. Thank you," she said. She bowed down slightly and left in the direction of the cafeteria to get another cup of coffee. As the spiky-haired man watched her walk away, his heart saddened. He wished that he could help her somehow. He shook his head and decided to take a walk around the campus to quell the anger that he had within him.

* * *

Kaoru returned a few minutes later and walked into the classroom balancing a hot cup of coffee in her hands carefully. What she saw in front of her shocked her and she dropped the cup from within her hands. The brown liquid splattered everywhere.

It was almost as if she were seeing things in slow motion. One of Kenshin's fists was balled up and raised in the air while his other had grabbed a fistful of the student's collar. The man had been lifted a foot off the ground. Kaoru noticed that Kenshin's eyes had turned a shade almost like amber as he shook the boy senseless and punched him roughly in the face. The boy was sent flying through the air and hit the cold ground with a hard thud.

"You son of a bitch! What did you say? I dare you to say it again! You say you can't concentrate in class because of me?"

Thick, dark blood spurted from out of the boy's mouth as he lay there on the ground on his stomach. His eyes were lidded close as his fingers blindly pried around for some sort of support.

Kaoru watched in horror as Kenshin went over to the young man and kicked him in the stomach. Fear seemed to grab at her throat as she saw the fearsome expression on the man's face. But then reality kicked in. _He could kill him!_, she screamed inside of her head while the pupils in her eyes dilated with warning. Without giving another thought, she ran over to the red-haired man. She stood behind him and grabbed both of his arms as she tried to withhold him from continuing to beat up the other student. This only made Kenshin angrier.

"You!" he snarled as he tried to wrestle himself from her grasp, but her arms were strong and they would not let go. "You . . Kamiya! Are you trying to go against me? Would you rather get yourself hurt instead of him?" he spat out.

_I can't believe that insolent girl would help someone like him. She doesn't even know him! How can she care for someone so much when she doesn't even know his name? Does she hate me that much? Why . . why does she do this to me?_, Kenshin thought in anguish.

Finally letting his rage overpower his logic and completely blind his senses, he pushed himself from out of her grasp and turned around and sent a fist flying towards the girl. The girl stood there in numb shock as she saw it come towards her and closed her eyes tightly shut. However, his fist never connected. She opened her eyes little by little and saw to her utter surprise that Sano had stepped in front of her and taken the punch instead.

Kenshin's eyes widened when he realized that he had punched Sanosuke in the face, instead of the girl. He stopped his actions as he just stood there looking at his friend dumbfounded. The other man seemed firmly angry and threw a fist towards Kenshin's stomach. Kenshin, who was defenseless, fell to the floor from the sheer power and strength of the blow.

"Get a grip of yourself man! What the hell are you doing?!" Sanosuke shouted as he turned towards Kaoru. She was crouched over the floor clutching her stomach and the other student that was getting beaten was now unconscious.

Kenshin looked at her and reality seemed to crash down on him. Kaoru's arms were bruised and her lips had cracked open again. It must have been from all the thrashing he had done while she was trying to hold him back. How could he have lost his mind like that during the fight?

"Someone take this kid to the nurse," Sano ordered to no one in particular. No one seemed to budge as they just stared at the limp and bloody body in the middle of the floor. Two of the students finally came to their senses and carefully carried the person to the nurse.

Meanwhile, Sanosuke bent down and had Kaoru place an arm over his neck and supported Kaoru as he walked out of the class. Kenshin just sat there quietly on the ground, unmoving.

"Kenshin! Follow me!" Sano called out as he looked back.

Sano's voice was like a cold bucket of water because Kenshin came out of his daze and quickly got up and followed the two of them to the nurse's office. When they got there, the red-haired man walked towards the window and just stood there gazing outside at the sky silently. Sano laid Kaoru out on the bed.

"Don't do something stupid like that again, jou-chan," he berated her softly.

Kaoru nodded as she let her eyes close, she was extremely exhausted and lying down on the bed had made her feel sleepy. Pretty soon she fell into a deep sleep. Meanwhile, Sanosuke watched her quietly as he sat down in the chair next to the bed.

She reminded him of someone.

Someone that had been very important to him.

His eyes glazed over as he looked at her.

At that moment, someone knocked on the door and the door clicked open.

"Excuse me, is Kamiya-san . . Sagara-san!"

"Huh? Soujiro?" Sanosuke looked behind him and saw that the boy who had called out to him had come inside. There was a smile on his face as he looked at him.

"Sagara-san, I didn't know you were coming to school today." Soujiro paused as he narrowed his eyes and looked at Sano's face more clearly. "Why are your lips bleeding?"

Sanosuke didn't answer and Soujiro looked over towards the window and saw Kenshin standing there. He instantly understood.

"I heard that Himura-san had stirred up quite a riot, but I didn't know that you were involved also," he said. Sano nodded and turned his head back towards the girl who was lying there peacefully. Soujiro walked over and looked at her.

"Ara? Kamiya-san got hurt, too?" he asked with concern and surprise in his eyes. He gently touched her chin where there was some dried blood from her lips. "How can she have gotten hurt like this?" He turned his head towards Kenshin and looked at him with piercing eyes. He didn't like the way Himura-san behaved so roughly towards the girl since the beginning, but he had no idea how he could make her end up like this. Kenshin only ignored his gaze and continued to stare out the window.

The room was very quiet and a tense atmosphere developed.

Soujiro looked over at his friend Sanosuke. He needed to break this tension somehow. "Aa . . Sagara-san, we haven't seen each other in a long time and you act like you don't even know me," the boy said with a light frown as he brought up a different topic.

Sano looked over. "I'm sorry, Soujiro. I didn't mean to do that."

Soujiro smiled. "It's all right. If you're sorry then buy me something to eat. Shishio-san, Yumi-san, and Anji-san are in the cafeteria. I'm sure they'll be happy to see you, too!"

The spiky-haired man sighed as he didn't move from his seat. "I'd like to, but what if jou-chan wakes up?" he asked.

"It's okay. She needs her rest," he said.

Sanosuke took one last look at her and got up from the chair. He looked over at Kenshin and did not say a word. He was still furious with him. "Let's go and leave the bastard alone here so he can think on what he just did," he spat out. Soujiro grabbed Sano and left the room.

Silence encircled the room again after the two left.

"Ugh," Kaoru quietly moaned as she moved around in the bed.

Kenshin turned around shocked. It seemed as if she could feel the pain even though she was asleep because her face twisted in agony. The man's eyes glazed over as he looked. _You_, he thought as he watched the girl,_ . . you're such a fool, Kamiya. This . . it's all your fault. Why did you jump in like that? I couldn't stop myself. . .why did you do that?_

* * *

Kaoru slowly fluttered her eyes open and felt some pressure on the side of the bed. She looked over and saw that Sanosuke was asleep with his head and arms on the blanket next to her. His nose started itching and he quickly rubbed it. She couldn't help but smile at how peaceful he looked. As she sat up in bed, Sano seemed to awaken and rubbed his eyes.

"Eh? Jou-chan you're awake?" Sano asked still half-asleep.

Kaoru smiled as she looked at him. "Yes, sir." She then frowned when she saw that there were purplish and yellow marks that began to form around the man's cheek. "Are you okay, sir?" she asked worried.

Sano laughed. "Hah! Are you talking about this?" he said as he pointed to the bruise on his face. "This is nothing! I've had so much worse."

"Oh," she said as she looked down. Then remembering about the other young man who had been beaten up, she asked rapidly, "What about the other student? Is he okay?"

"He was sent to the hospital. Luckily, you stopped Kenshin before he could do any more damage," he said as he looked down. The woman had such a kind heart and the fact that she didn't seem to care about her own well-being upset him.

"Really . ." she said in a low thoughtful voice as she looked down at her hands.

"Jou-chan, I already said this before . . but you really have got to look out for yourself more. Don't do something like that again," he said seriously as he looked back up at her. Kaoru couldn't say anything to make him believe her in reply.

"I understand, sir. Thank you. I feel much better now," she said as she started to get out of the bed.

Sanosuke sighed as he saw her get up. Kaoru put on her shoes and walked out of the nurse's office. Feeling helpless as he shoved his hands in his pockets, he got up also and followed her out. He was so used to this tiresome routine by now. When Kaoru arrived at the classroom, school had already ended and there was no one in the room except for Kenshin. He was listening to the music coming out from his headphones with his eyes closed. The girl walked towards Kenshin and stood behind him, he didn't seem to notice her for he didn't even acknowledge her presence.

Sanosuke leaned on the door as he watched the two. As he studied them, he couldn't help but feel frustrated. Kenshin was acting like an asshole to Kaoru, but there was nothing that he could do to alleviate the problem. No matter what happened she always returned to his side. _Why?_, he questioned himself. After standing there for a couple of minutes, he turned around and left without a word.

For some reason, seeing the two of them together made him feel . . just a bit . . jealous.

* * *

As Kenshin sat there with his eyes closed, his thoughts were thrown in turmoil. Actually, he had noticed her come inside the room and stand behind him. He had heard her footsteps and light breathing. He had smelled that scent of jasmine. But he chose to ignore her.

_I hurt her. She watched me when I had mercilessly beat up the other student. She had seen me at my worst, but . . shouldn't she be afraid of me? Shouldn't she hate me? Look at what I've done . . but yet she still comes back. _

After awhile, Kenshin opened his eyes, stood up, and walked out of the classroom. Kaoru then gathered up his bag and followed him out. Her body was still in pain and she walked with a noticeable limp. As she continued down the empty hallway, she finally saw Kenshin ahead of her and tried to catch up, but to no avail.

The gap between them only seemed to grow.

And pretty soon she had lost sight of him.

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- To be continued

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**Author's Notes** :

Lol. I finished this chapter earlier than I thought. Anyway, hope you enjoy it and please review! Thanks!

Special Thanks to Azulene, AngelsAngel, Oni Tokage, tooQie, xia xue, flaming-amber, super, cyjj, Coodle, Piper, Ochanoko, Erica, Kaoru Gal, Ryoga, kik-ting, cutie-chan-XD3, stranger, anonymous, Reignashii, S3R3nity, Chibi Kiki, rain angst, kenshin's-angel, kkfan, Sugar-Crazy-Fox, Mz. Amber Eyes, kimi.the.water.spirit, nobody, Spike-Faye, Raeyn-chan, InuLimbo, chibi frog, and saotome for reviewing!


	9. Hot Headed

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Disclaimer : **Rurouni Kenshin is the property of Nobuhiro Watsuki, Shonen Jump, Viz, and Sony Productions. 

* * *

**Possession**

Donna8157

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**Chapter 9 : Hot-Headed**

"Why are you acting like this, Kenshin?" Sano stammered in a serious tone as Kenshin stepped inside the limousine in front of the school. The red-haired man ignored him as he closed his eyes and crossed his arms.

Sanosuke clenched his fists. "Why are you doing that to the poor girl? Do you feel good when you torture her like that?" he asked as he searched Kenshin's face for any emotion. The man didn't even blink and still sat there as impenetrable as a rock.

"Even if you're jou-chan's . . ."

Sano stopped his sentence when he noticed Kaoru walking unsteadily towards the car. He turned back around and faced the front as he heard her open the door. When the girl stepped into the limo, she couldn't help but notice that the atmosphere was very heavy. She looked across from her and saw that both Kenshin and Sanosuke were looking away from one another. Kenshin's low voice broke the long silence.

"Go to 'Studio 57'," Kenshin said.

"Yes, sir," the driver replied as he made a left on the street.

Kaoru cringed when she heard the name of the club. A slight tremor passed through her eyes and her hands became cold and sweaty at the thought of going back there. After twenty minutes or so, the limo finally arrived in front of the club. Kaoru's face was clouded with anxiety as she got out of the car and stood in front of the building. Kenshin ignored her and went straight inside. Sanosuke was about to follow his friend in when he saw that the girl had not budged from her spot.

He wondered what was wrong with her and looked at her strangely. Why did she seem . . scared?

"You all right, jou-chan?" he asked as he gazed at her.

Kaoru was brought out of her thoughts and nodded as she started walking again. Sanosuke narrowed his eyes in thought as she walked by him. _Did something happen to her here? If not, then why would she be so afraid of going in?_ He shook his head as he let go of those thoughts and followed her inside.

The environment of 'Studio 57' had not changed since that night of Kenshin's birthday. There was still loud music playing in the background along with sweat and cigarette smoke oscillating in the stagnant air. As Kaoru stepped into the club, an unknown feeling of uneasiness entwined her body. Suddenly something blocked her path.

Kaoru blinked.

A leg. She looked over and saw that its owner was none other than Takeda Kanryuu. Her body stiffened when she looked at him. His dark eyes, even in the shadows of the club, seemed menacing as he looked at her with a calm smile.

"It's nice to see that you're back. What are you going to do today, doll?" he asked as a smirk appeared on his face. The way that the man eyed the girl up and down made her feel dirty. She backed away. Kanryuu grabbed her wrist roughly as she did so and her eyes widened in fright.

"Don't leave so quickly. You just got here . . let's have some fun," he drawled out as he tightened his grip. She winced from the pain as she kept quiet.

"Oh my," the man continued as he stood up next to the girl to get a better look at her face. "What happened to your face?" As he asked this his fingers moved up her shoulders and fiddled with the strands of her long, raven-black hair. He grasped it and the girl grunted in pain as she narrowed her eyes in anger.

"My, my, my. I like the look in your eyes today . . . such challenging eyes," he said as he looked at her almost as if he was toying with her. In the meantime, Sanosuke had just come inside the club and looked for the girl. He noticed that Kaoru was standing near the corner of the entrance. He furrowed his brows as he tried to get a better look of what was going on there. When he saw the other man grasping the girl's hair tightly his eyes widened in shock and he rushed over.

"Kanryuu! What the hell are you doing?! Let go of her!" he shouted with his eyes ablaze.

Kanryuu looked over nonchalantly as he gave a lop-sided grin. "Aa .. Sanosuke! You're here, too. Why don't you watch what our doll will do." With his words, the man tightened his grip on the girl's hair and jerked her head. Kaoru winced in a pain and shut her eyes as she wished that the moment would pass quickly.

"Let go of her, you bastard!" Sano yelled as he clenched his fist.

"Haha. What's wrong, Sanosuke? I'm just having some fun with . ." Before Kanryuu could finish his sentence, Sano went over and grabbed the man's wrist that was holding her hair.

"Let go, Kanryuu!" the spiky-haired man said menacingly as he looked into the other man's eyes. The man with glasses trembled in fear at the fierce ki that flowed from the other's body. Everyone's attention was diverted to the corner of the club as they watched the fiasco that had just started to take place.

"Stop it!" A voice yelled from the center of the room. It was Kenshin. "Let go of her, Kanryuu! If you continue to bother her, I won't let you get away with it!" Kenshin's voice reverberated within the room and everyone looked at the man with glasses. Redness began to fill in Kanryuu's cheeks as he felt his pride deplete. He quickly let go of the girl's hair and Sano released him from his grip.

The man started to shake out his wrist from the pain and turned his attention to the young man with red hair. "Kenshin, what's wrong? I just wanted to play with her again. I thought you had enjoyed it, too," he said as he turned towards the girl and gave her a sickening smile.

"I'm warning you," Kenshin spat out in a strong tone as he looked at the other man sternly and pointed his finger at him menacingly.

"Hey what? What's wrong with you? I thought you said . . ."

"I only let you borrow her for that day!! Don't touch her again!!" Kenshin commanded as he looked at him with his piercing cold eyes.

Kanryuu's face became contorted at Kenshin's harsh words and pushed Kaoru in front of Sanosuke. An oppressive atmosphere filled the club for awhile as Kenshin and Kanryuu seemed to face off with the stares they were giving one another. After a while, Kanryuu looked away and roughly gulped down the beer in front of him. Everyone started to move away from them and things began to return to normal.

Kanryuu clenched his teeth as he watched as the three of them started to walk away. He felt belittled as if he had lost face in the crowd full of people at the club. _I'll get my revenge on your, Himura! _He then looked at the girl who was standing next to the red-haired man. _And I'll enjoy it also_, he promised himself with an evil smile.

As Sanosuke walked away, an unwelcome realization came to him. Judging from how Kanryuu had treated Kaoru, something terrible must have taken place that other night. Something that had made the girl afraid of coming back to the club. He shook his head sadly as he shoved his hands into his jeans and continued to follow Kenshin.

_What the hell was Kenshin thinking letting them "borrow" her? What a sick thing._

Sano sat down at one of the tables off to the side of the club and ordered some beer. When it came, he drank a swig of it and sighed. He watched as Kaoru stood behind Kenshin while he completely ignored her as usual. His fingers tightened around the bottle as he gulped the liquor down.

"Oh my, if it isn't Sagara Sanosuke?" a husky feminine voice called out.

Sanosuke turned around and saw a scantily clad woman saunter over to his table. Her face was heavily made up and the pungent fragrance of cheap perfume surrounded her. He frowned and turned away. This however did not stop the woman from coming over and flirting with him.

"Hey Sano," she said as she lightly pushed him on the shoulder and giggled. "Don't you remember me? It's me, Arashi," the woman said as she batted her mascara-laden eyelashes at him.

"I'm not interested," he said sternly as he took another gulp of his beer.

The woman widened her eyes, but then smiled again broadly as she giggled in a high-pitched voice. "Oh . . Sano . . stop playing around," she said as she leaned over and started to make circles with her finger on his chest. "I know you missed me. We used to have so much fun together." She pouted her lips as she turned his face towards her own.

Sanosuke narrowed his eyes. "I told you, Arashi. I'm not interested. I'm not the man who I was a year ago. Go find someone else to bother," he said as he jerked his arm away from her.

She frowned when she saw that the man was serious. "Fine! Be that way! It's not as if I care. I can get any man I want," she said fretfully as she stomped away. Sanosuke shook his head in annoyance as she left.

It was true. He had changed.

* * *

The stench of beer and sweat along with the blaring music and flashing lights in the background made Kaoru's head dizzy. She stood there and wished that she could leave the place. In fact, sometimes she wished that she could leave everything behind and start anew. She hated the way she was treated as if she were nothing. But again, there was always that voice that nagged her in her head. She was the one that begged Hiko-san to be taken in and she had said that she would do anything.

And anything included this.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she shook away that feeling of pain and sadness. She didn't need that now.

"Oh Kenshin!" a shrilly feminine voice called out.

Kaoru was knocked out from her thoughts by her voice. She looked over to where it came from and saw a woman wearing a tight black mini skirt and black tube top walk over towards where the red-head was sitting. She could have been beautiful if not for the heavy makeup and cheap perfume. Her nose instantly wrinkled in disgust at the sight.

Kenshin had a feral grin on his face as he saw her approach and motioned for the woman to sit on his lap. She giggled as she complied and kissed him on the cheek.

"Oh, Kenshin . ." she murmured as she played with his strands of red hair. At that moment, she noticed the other girl standing behind Kenshin and narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Who's that?"

"No one," he said as he got up. "Let's go dance." The woman giggled and made a face at Kaoru almost if telling her that she had won this round. Kaoru scoffed inaudibly. It's not like she would have wanted to be with him in the first place.

With a bottle of beer in his hand, Kenshin and the other woman made their way towards the center of the dance floor. As a new song started up, the woman started grinding against her partner. Kenshin let her do whatever she want as he just drank the alcohol. While he was doing this, he looked over at the side of the club and saw Kaoru's eyes. Her pure sapphire-like that were watching him from afar. As Kenshin saw the look in her eyes, there was faint convulsion around his pupils.

He shook his head as he tried to forget that she was there and then turned to the woman that was dancing with him. He suddenly lifted her head and kissed her on the lips. She seemed surprised at first, but then smiled wickedly as she placed her arms around his neck. She then returned his kisses aggressively. Kenshin's lips continued down her neck and the woman started moaning with satisfaction as her hands groped around his chest.

Kaoru who had been watching the entire time turned around, her face red with embarrassment and shock.

Sanosuke saw her reaction and slammed his bottle on the table. He couldn't take it anymore. He had seen what Kenshin was doing on the dance floor and his face turned to disgust and resentment as he saw that the two of them got more serious. He jumped out from his seat and walked over to Kaoru.

"Let's go, jou-chan," he said roughly. "I can't stand watching him anymore!"

He turned on the balls of his heels as he was about to walk out, but then noticed that the girl didn't follow him. He furrowed his brows when he saw that she just stood there with her head down.

"I don't understand. You're just gonna stay here and watch _that_?" he asked in a sarcastic manner as he gestured emphatically towards the couple making out.

". . ."

Sanosuke sighed as he calmed down his frustration and ran his hands through his brown hair. Seeing that there was nothing that he could do, he just took a seat beside Kaoru.

After a few minutes, Kenshin and the other girl came back to the table. An arrogant smile was pasted on the young man's face as he looked at Kaoru. The blue-eyed girl only turned away from him. When he sat back in his seat, the other woman who had been dancing with him got on top of him and started kissing him again. While she was doing this, she slowly unbuttoned his white collared shirt and began caressing his bare chest that glistened with sweat.

Sanosuke slammed his fist on the table. He had had enough of this.

"Stop it, Kenshin! This is disgusting!" he yelled as he looked at his friend with piercing eyes. Kenshin looked up at him with bleary eyes.

"If you don't want to look, then just go back!" he said dryly as he challenged him.

"Fine! I'll go back! Jou-chan, get up. Let's go," he said as he grabbed onto Kaoru's arm. The girl didn't budge from her position and the man looked at her with a confused expression.

"I'll . . I'll just stay here, sir," she said as she unwound her arm from his hands.

Kenshin narrowed his eyes. "You go, too!" he spat out. Kaoru looked at him with a surprised expression on her face.

"Didn't you hear me? I said go back with Sano!" he shouted as he waved his hand telling her to leave.

"I'll . ."

"You bitch!" he said as he let his temper get the best of him. He threw the bottle in his hand onto the ground and it shattered into a thousand pieces. The gaudily dressed girl who had been kissing him looked at him in shock. Sano grabbed onto Kaoru's arm and took her away as he looked at Kenshin who was still sitting in the chair.

"You're in the worst condition today, Kenshin!" he berated.

As Sanosuke and Kaoru walked out of the club, the girl leaned her body on Kenshin again and started to kiss him once more. The red-haired man creased his face in disgust and pushed her away with all his strength. She fell onto the ground.

"Fuck off!" he said.

"What the hell?" the woman said as she sat there on the ground, confused as to what just happened. She looked at Kenshin and he seemed to ignore her as he opened up another bottle of beer. With a dark frown, he chugged it all in one gulp.

* * *

"Taxi!!" Sanosuke called out as he waved his arms around. The taxi stopped in front of the two of them. After he helped Kaoru get in first, he went inside the car. The girl had a pensive expression on her face as she continued to look back at the club.

"Don't worry. The chauffeur's still here . ." he said.

Even though she knew that, she couldn't erase the worried look on her face because she was concerned about Kenshin.

"Where to?" the taxi driver asked.

"The Hiko estate," the spiky-haired man answered. The driver nodded his head as he turned on the engine. As the car started to drive away, Kaoru turned her head back towards the building and then lowered her head.

Sano clenched his teeth. _Kenshin . .that bastard. . why does he do that to her?_

The two of them remained quiet throughout the ride and just looked out the window. It was already dark outside and the stars had come out. When they arrived at the estate, Sanosuke was the first to get out. He stretched his arms and took a deep breath as he let the night breeze fill his lungs. He then walked towards the driver's seat and paid him the taxi fare. He was about to walk towards the door, when he saw Kaoru falter as she got out. He ran over and caught her right before she fell.

The first thing Sano noticed was just how hot she was. Her temperature that is.

He quickly steadied her and felt her forehead with the back of his hand.

"You have a fever, jou-chan!" he said in alarm.

"I'm . . I'm okay, sir," she said in a weak voice.

Sano grimaced. "What do you mean you're okay? You're going in and going to sleep right now!" he said with a worried look on his face as he supported her into the house. She didn't seem to have much strength to walk up the three flights of stairs so he lifted her up into his arms.

She looked up at him in alarm. "It .. I can walk on my own . .sir," she stammered with her eyes wide open.

Sano smiled impishly. "I'm strong, jou-chan. And you're pretty light anyway," he said. He grasped her firmly next to his body so not to accidentally drop her and started to walk up the stairs with Kaoru in his arms. Once he was in front of the girl's room, he kicked open the door with a loud bang. He walked over to the bed and laid her down gently as he covered her in some blankets.

"T-thank you, sir," she whispered weakly as she closed her eyes.

"Anytime, jou-chan," he said with a smile. He then hurried down to the kitchen and brought back an ice pack to place on her forehead. When he came back, it seemed that he fever had gotten worse and her breathing had become a little irregular. He frowned.

_Did she hold it in until now?_, he thought with a worried expression on his face. He silently reprimanded her for being so careless about her own health while he sat in the chair next to her bed.

-

-

-

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- To be continued

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**Author's Notes : **

Please leave a review! Thanks very much! I hope you enjoyed the chapter. =D Hehe.

Special thanks to De Lazy Lime, cyjj, Tenshi-no-Hana-chan, Coodle, Oni Tokage, InuLimbo, super, Ryoga, Kaoru Gal, Raeyn-chan, kirie-kun, Fuu, Chibi Kiki, kik-ting, SC Gurl, kimi.the.water.spirit, Sugar-Crazy-Fox, rkfan246, Piper, xia xue, Reignashii, rain angst, Ochanoko, S3R3nity, Mz. Amber Eyes, Anonymous T, Baby Kaoru-sama, Azulene, cutie-chan-XD3, kenshin's-angel, Spike-Faye, and saotome for reviewing! Thank you! =D


	10. Sano's Past

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* * *

Disclaimer : **Rurouni Kenshin is the property of Nobuhiro Watsuki, Shonen Jump, Viz, and Sony Productions. 

Thanks to OniTokage for reading over some parts of this fic and correcting it. I really appreciated it. And also thanks to Mz. Amber Eyez for pointing out the mistake with Hiko's last name. =x

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**Possession**

Donna8157

* * *

**Chapter 10 : Sano's Past : Money, Women, and Booze**

It was around 3:00 am when Kaoru's fever finally died down. Her cheeks had returned to their normal hue and she was sleeping soundly. Sano smiled with relief as he took off the cold compress from her forehead for the final time that night. He brushed back the few strands of hair from her face and looked at the girl's complexion steadily. As he watched her, his heart gradually began to beat faster.

He didn't know what he felt when he looked at her. But he just knew that it hurt him whenever he saw her in pain. Whenever he saw Kenshin treating her poorly. His pupils trembled a little bit as he listened to the rhythm of her breathing and looked at her face. She was so beautiful. He felt drawn to her and slowly leaned over. Her lips that were curled up in a small pout seemed ever so inviting. His senses grew drunk at the close proximity to her body as he inhaled the faint scent of jasmine.

His eyes closed of their own accord as he started to lower his mouth near hers. He kissed her lightly on her lips. The tender gesture was so brief and subtle that the girl most likely would not be able to feel it, but that ephemeral moment had cast forever an imprint in Sanosuke's heart.

"What are you doing here?" Kenshin said in a calm voice as he stood there by the door with his eyes glued to his friend's form.

Sano paled instantly as he sat back straight in his chair. "Uh . . Jou-chan . . she had a fever."

Kenshin who continued to stare at Sanosuke repeated what he said in wonder. "A . .fever?"

Sano's heart was thumping so loudly in his chest that he was sure that it would give him away. He looked down on the floor for a moment as he shrugged off the feeling. "Y-yea. It's a little down now. She'll be fine," he said while he looked over to the side of the room, trying his best to avoid Kenshin's eyes.

"I'll . . I'll just go back to my room now." The man hesitatingly got up from his seat and walked out the door. Kenshin remained standing there by Kaoru's door even after Sanosuke had left. Without moving his eyes off of the girl's sleeping form, he ambled over to the bed. He stared at her for awhile as he focused his eyes on her lips. Kenshin's brows knitted for a moment and then he staggered back to his room. Once he went in, he collapsed on the bed and fell asleep.

Sanosuke returned to his room across the hall and let go of the breath that he didn't know that he had been holding since he saw Kenshin. He plopped down on the floor next to the wall as he thought about what just happened.

_What did . . what did I just do?_, he screamed inside of his head as he shook his head forcefully. _Could Kenshin have seen? What am I doing? Jou-chan . . jou-chan is Kenshin's . . ._

He tried to console himself as he got up and walked over to the bed, but found that he couldn't and only laid awake the entire night with his eyes wandering the ceiling above him.

* * *

Small rays of sunlight seeped into Kaoru's room and she rubbed her eyes sleepily as she got up. Her head and body felt a little heavy, but she felt much better than she did the previous day. She looked at the clock on the small desk at the side of her bed and the red fluorescent numbers told her that it was 5:15 am.

Kaoru groggily got up and stretched as she went to bathroom to wash up and change. When she finished, she went to Kenshin's room and knocked on the door. There was no answer from the other side so she opened the door and stepped in quietly. She saw that Kenshin was sprawled out on the bed with his clothes from yesterday still on. She went over and gently placed a blanket over him.

At that moment, the young man's eyes opened up and looked at the girl. She stared back at him in shock and unconsciously took a step backwards and dropped the blanket that she had held in her hand.

"I was just . . placing the blanket . ." She bent down to pick up the light blue blanket from the floor.

"Are you okay now?" Kenshin asked Kaoru in a dry voice.

"Excuse me?" She looked at him awkwardly. The girl had no idea what he was referring to.

Kenshin groggily sat up in bed and looked to the side, making sure to avoid her eyes. "You had a fever yesterday and Sano took care of you all last night."

"Oh .. yes, I'm okay now, sir." She was surprised to hear that the man seemed to be worried about her.

He flinched almost unnoticeably when she had called him sir this time. For some reason, the way that she always added the word sir started to bother him. He had always heard it, but he felt like it was some sort of rejection. Kenshin nodded his head as he got out of bed.

"Go wake Sano up," the man said as he started walking towards the bathroom. When he was inside, he listened for the click of the door to signal that Kaoru had left the room and then started washing up.

* * *

Sanosuke was lying down on the bed still staring up at the ceiling. His thoughts had not let him get any rest that night. As he lay on his back, images and voices of the past seemed to intrude into his conscious.

When Sano had been only five, his mother had committed suicide. This threw both the boy and the father into deep depression. Sano's dad later came out of it and was able to continue on living and make money, however for the boy himself he could never understand it. Why would his mother kill herself? Didn't he love the both of them? If she did, then why would she end her own life?

He felt betrayed.

It was around that time when he was seven that he had met Kenshin. Through mutual pain and sorrow, they became the best of friends. Even though neither one of them told each other the story, they had an understanding of one another.

As Sanosuke grew older, he felt that he could drown out his memories of the hurt and pain by dousing his system with alcohol.

But it never worked.

He would always consistently feel worse right after the booze wore off and things only went on a downward spiral from then on. He would go to the clubs, get drunk, and be with different women almost to the point that it was on a daily basis. Later on, Sanosuke's father sent him off to different countries thinking that maybe the boy could learn his lesson.

But he never did.

That was until he met her.

Sayo.

His eyes glazed over as he remembered that fateful day. He was in Germany at the time and had been arrested for heavy gambling and being drunk and starting a fight in the streets. But since he was just a minor, the judge had let him off and only sentenced him to two hundred hours of community service at the soup kitchen.

Back then she was known to him as Amakusa Magdaria. She would come to the soup kitchen everyday with her brother and they would preach to the homeless and financially strained people about the kingdom of heaven and the greatness of God. Sano would always scoff inwardly whenever they talked about it. If God was so great, then why would He leave him without a mother when he very much needed one? Why was there poverty? Why did people suffer?

He shook his head at the absurd thought. Back then, he believed in only one thing. Himself. And he felt that he didn't need anyone else. Being with someone and trusting someone would only bring pain upon oneself when he or she betrayed you. He knew. He had felt it firsthand.

On one of the days that Sano was working at the soup kitchen, Magdaria walked over to him with a gentle and motherly smile on her face. The man had looked away not wanting to engage in conversation with someone who was just going to preach to him about Christianity. But he was surprised. The girl didn't. Instead she just helped him with the chores in the kitchen. It became a routine almost. Every time both her and her brother had finished giving a short sermon, Magdaria would come over and help Sano.

In the beginning they never really talked while serving the food to the poor, but Sano felt a strange sort of comfort when he was with her. But later as time passed, they began to talk about things. They conversed lightly about traveling, religion, education, and other things. He had found out that her parents had been killed when they were sent as missionaries, having been caught in the cross fires of war. The two siblings were young at the time, Shougo being only ten while the girl had just turned six. Even though something so tragic had happened, her brother and herself had persevered and lived on. It was then that he told her about his own past. His mother.

Little by little, his memories of the past didn't seem so dark anymore. Instead of the image of his mom lying there lifeless in the bathtub, he had images of his mother smiling and laughing when she was with his father and him. He had learned to remember that side of his mom and later understood that no matter what, his mother had still loved him. It was not much later when he had talked to her that her disease had started to get worse. Sanosuke was shocked at first to learn that she had such tuberculosis for the girl had always had a smile on her face and always seemed to have enough energy to help others in need.

Before she died from the disease, she told him something.

_"You should keep the memories that you cherish from the past, but live in the present. Don't let your past guide your future, Sanosuke." _

It was also during that time that he had found out her real name. Muto Sayo.

She had changed him through her kindness and he would never forget her. Never.

Sanosuke sighed as turned on his side. He then found his thoughts wandering to Kaoru. Why did he kiss her? What had made him do that? Because she belonged to . .

_Knock Knock_

Sanosuke instantly came out of his thoughts as he shot up in the bed. He rushed over to the door and right before he opened it, Kaoru had stepped in. He stopped in his tracks as he looked at her. Memories of the last night flashed by in his mind and his heartbeat quickened. He quickly looked back down on the ground as he tried to avoid her eyes.

"Uh .. Jou-chan .. what are you doing here so early for?" he stuttered. She looked at him strangely at how he was acting before responding.

"I thought you weren't awake yet, sir."

"I'm a pretty diligent guy . . even though I may not look it." He had a gleeful smile on his face as he looked back up.

"I heard you took care of me last night . ." she started as she twined her fingers around in front of her.

Sanosuke widened his eyes as he felt his breath catch in his throat. _Did Kenshin see me then? Did he tell her what I did?_

Hearing that the man wasn't going to respond she looked at him with worry in her eyes. "Are you okay, sir?"

"I . . haha . . sorry. I just fazed out for awhile maybe because it's too early in the morning for me. Did . . did Kenshin tell you about that?"

"Yes, just awhile ago."

"Really?" Sano replied as he scratched his hair. He looked at the girl intently. "Did he say anything else besides that?"

"Excuse me? Ah .. no .. he didn't." Kaoru furrowed her brows. She had no idea what had gotten into him. He just seemed so .. high strung.

"All right. Thanks for coming to wake me up, jou-chan," Sano said gratefully.

Kaoru nodded. "It's okay. Thank you, sir, for taking care of me last night. I'll be going then."

Once Kaoru had left, Sano let out a large sigh of relief. Then he headed towards the bathroom to get ready for the day.

* * *

Kaoru went across the hall and walked inside Kenshin's room again. At the moment, the boy was in the middle of getting dressed. Seeing that, she walked towards him and started to help him with his tie. Kenshin stopped what he was doing when he noticed that the girl had come over to him. He looked at her, almost mesmerized. He saw how her brows seemed to knit while she concentrated on the task at hand and the way her fingers intricately tied the knot in his tie. His lavender eyes then looked back at her face. His eyes stopped and lingered at her rose-tinted lips. A hazy feeling overcame his senses and his heart started to hammer against his chest wildly. He suddenly pushed her away in shock when he realized that his face was slowly going closer to hers. Kaoru looked up a bit surprised by the sudden maneuver and let go of his tie.

"I'll do it . . you can go downstairs." He looked down at his tie and started to fix it.

The young woman thought that his actions were strange but went out of the room anyway without saying anything. When she had closed the door, Kenshin plopped down on the bed and looked at himself in the full-size mirror across from him. He raised his right hand as he gripped his forehead and shook his head.

_No .. it's got to be the alcohol. _

* * *

When Kenshin walked down to the dining room he saw Sanosuke, Kaoru, and his two parents sitting at the dining table. Kaoru noticed the red-haired man and got up out of her chair so that she could pull a chair out for him. Kenshin nodded his regard as he sat down. He still felt a bit awkward from that one moment earlier that morning.

"So Sano, what are you going to do now that you're back in Tokyo?" Hiko asked as they re-started the conversation they were having before Kenshin came downstairs.

Sanosuke looked up from his food. "Well, I'm planning on transferring to Three Willows soon."

"Really? Well, why don't you live here with my baka-deshi?"

When Mrs. Seijuro heard her husband's suggestion, she instantly shot him a dirty look. Kenshin noticed this and frowned.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm looking for an apartment," he said. Mrs. Seijuro's face relaxed and returned to its normal look as she started eating again.

"Apartment? Why? It would be more comfortable if you live here. You can keep my baka-deshi company. He doesn't have any other friends anyway," Hiko said with a smirk as he shot Kenshin a playful look. Kenshin didn't react and just ate the food in front of him.

Sanosuke chuckled. "Haha. I'll think about it sir."

"What about it baka-deshi?" Hiko asked as he looked over at the red-head and completely ignored the frightening scowl on his wife's face.

"He can do whatever he wants," Kenshin said nonchalantly as he picked at the food with his fork.

Mrs. Seijuro changed the topic seeing that her husband was trying to persuade the other man to stay. She looked over at her son and asked, "Kenshin? How's that girl, Kamiya? Is she useful?" Kenshin didn't bother looking up as he continued looking down at the plate of food while the Kaoru had flinched.

"So much money went into her . .what's going to happen if she doesn't listen to him? It wasn't just a small amount of money. Honestly, what were you thinking dear?," the mother said as she looked over at the father with a fretful look. But Hiko didn't bother to reply.

Seeing that the man wasn't about to answer she glared at Kaoru and frowned. "And Kamiya, don't think about sitting here with that kind of face." Kaoru's face was covered with a few bandages so that she could hide the bruises and cuts that Kenshin had given her yesterday. The young woman slunk down deeper in her chair when she felt the mother's keen eyes upon her.

_Slam!_

Kenshin had slammed his fist down onto the table as he stood up. Mrs. Seijuro jumped in her seat frightened by the sudden noise. Kaoru and Sanosuke looked up shocked. And Hiko just continued to read the newspaper.

"Oh my! You're done?" the mother asked.

"Yes," he said in a calm, low voice as he put down his fork and walked out of the room.

"Excuse me." Kaoru apologized as she bowed down towards Mr. and Mrs. Seijuro. Seeing that Kenshin had already left, the woman quickly followed him.

Sanosuke watched as the two left and felt his mind numb. He couldn't believe the words that came out of Mrs. Seijuro's mouth. He clenched his fists as he controlled his anger and looked at them. "If you'll excuse me also, I should be getting ready for the day."

* * *

Kaoru was in the living room when she saw that Sanosuke had started going up the stairs. Feeling the girl's eyes on him, the man turned around and gave her a small grin. "I'm going to rest at home today. I'm a little tired. So go on ahead, jou-chan."

Her sapphire blue eyes saddened as she heard his words. "I'm sorry, sir. Because you took care of me last night . . you didn't get much sleep." Her head lowered when she saw how tired he looked.

"N-no. It doesn't have anything to do with you," Sano protested. "I've just got some stuff that I need to do."

At that moment, Kenshin's voice burst into the room.

"Hurry up and come out!!" he demanded. The spiky-haired man and young woman were shocked by his angry tone and looked over at him.

"I told you that I hated anything slow!! Sano's not going so just leave him alone!" With those words, Kenshin roughly opened the front door and stepped out. Kaoru bowed her head towards Sanosuke and rushed out. The other man just stood there and watched her until she left and sighed as he weakly trudged up the stairs.

* * *

"You have some nerve. How dare you make me wait," he said threateningly as he narrowed his eyes at the girl who had just come out of the house.

"I'm sorry, sir. It won't happen again." She bowed her head to show her apologies.

For some reason, seeing her reaction had made him even angrier and a feeling of rage started to surge in his system. But he turned around and walked towards the car without another word. Kaoru followed him and they went inside.

Once they were on their way to school, Kenshin took out a cigarette from his pocket to calm his unsteady nerves. Soon, cigarette smoke started to saturate the air in the automobile.

_Cough_

The cough that Kaoru had been trying to hold came out and she quickly covered her mouth. Kenshin looked over at the girl and saw what she was doing. He put out the cigarette in the ash tray and rolled down the window. The cool fresh morning air blew in and the smoke slowly started to disperse. As Kaoru's coughing started becoming fewer and farther in between, she found her eyes looking at the red-haired man sitting next to her.

_Did he do that because of me?_, she wondered.

-

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-

-

- To be continued

* * *

**Author's Notes :**

Thanks for reading and please leave a review at the end to tell me what you think.

_A note on pairings:_

As much as I like Soujiro/Kaoru, I'm sorry to say that this fic will not have that particular pairing. In fact, Soujiro and Kaoru's relationship in this story is purely platonic.

_A note about Kaoru and Kenshin:_

The dimensions of Kenshin and Kaoru's characters will start to blossom further in the next couple of chapters.

_Amakusa Shougo and Amakusa Magdaria:_

These two characters who are brother and sister are portrayed in the Christian Arc of Rurouni Kenshin series. Their real names are Muto Shougo and Muto Sayo.

Listening to Hinata Rhapsody No.1, Opus 38

Special thanks to star0704, saotome, jacky, HitokiriSky, Azulene, Ryoga, nobody, super, Mz. Amber Eye, sc gurl, Oni Tokage, Piper, cyjj, Tenshi-no-Hana-chan, Coodle, Himura-chan, kaoru gal, Shannon, stranger, kimi.the.water.spirit, rkfan246, cutiechanXD3, kirie-kun, Sugar-Crazy-Fox, InuLimbo, Chibi Kiki, anonymous, Reignashii, S3R3nity, kik-ting, Aya45, ;), canitan-queen, Kaoru-chan6, Spike-Faye, Ochanoko, Lendra-chan, rain angst, kenshin's-angel, Baby Kaoru-sama, De Lazy Lime, star0704, onnie, Honeyz-Rinoa, and Erica for reviewing!


	11. Blue Sky

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* * *

Disclaimer : **Rurouni Kenshin is the property of Nobuhiro Watsuki, Shonen Jump, Viz, and Sony Productions.

**Random Note : **If you haven't checked out "Samurai Champloo", you should! It's awesome (by the creator of "Cowboy Bebop". Fight scenes are great.

* * *

**Possession**

Donna8157

* * *

**Chapter 11 : Blue Sky **

Soujiro sighed as he got out his AP European History textbook from his locker. As he shut it, he noticed Kenshin and Kaoru at the end of the hallway. He noticed that Kenshin had a stiff face and Kaoru was close behind him with her head down and partially covered by her hair. He narrowed his eyes and decided that he would wait by his locker for them to come towards him.

The red-haired man looked up and noticed the other blue-eyed boy standing there at the far end of the hall. Soujiro still looked upset from the incident the other day so Kenshin chose just to ignore him.

As he passed by him, the other man clenched his fists tightly.

"Himura-san," he called out as he turned around to face the other man. Kenshin stopped in his tracks as he turned around on the balls of his feet. The brown-haired boy purposefully strode towards him.

"It's not very polite to ignore your friends," he said in a steady, hard voice as he looked at Kenshin sternly.

The lavender-eyed man scoffed as he upturned his nose. "I know what kind of shit is going to come out your mouth, Soujiro. And personally, I don't want to hear it."

The blue-eyed boy glared at him as strength went into his fists.

With a quick thrust of his fist, he struck Kenshin exactly in the stomach.

"Ugh." Kenshin bent over with one of hands clutched over the area that Soujiro had punched him and the other hand bracing the ground. In shock, Kaoru quickly rushed over and tried to help him up.

"I'm disappointed in you, Himura-san. I thought that you and Sagara-san were good friends. But Sagara-san has been in a bad mood ever since he got here and instead of trying to make him feel better, you just make him angrier." He looked at the girl who was bent down on her knees and patting Kenshin's back to make sure he was okay. "And Kamiya-san, you should leave him alone. Himura-san deserves to get hit."

Soujiro continued to glare at Kenshin's form as he tried to dissuade the girl from helping him. He honestly did not understand why the girl was still bent on taking care of him when he had treated her so poorly. He understood it was for that main reason why Sagara-san was upset. He shook his head in disenchantment as he thought of how Himura had been acting the past couple of days.

"Himura-san, get up," Soujiro said quietly as he looked at him. After a while, Kenshin's form was still stooped down on the ground and there was no sign that he was going to get up soon. A look of worry suddenly crossed over the boy's eyes. _Had I hit him too hard?_, he thought.

"Himura . . . –san?" he repeated feeling a bit uneasy from the prolonged silence.

Soujiro walked towards Kenshin as the feeling of worry finally took over. At that moment, Kenshin rose from the floor and his strong fist flew into the other boy's gut.

"Ugh," Soujiro exclaimed. He held onto his stomach as he fell to the floor on his knees. He slowly raised his head and saw with his dark blue eyes that the other man was smiling with satisfaction. Kaoru, who was still on the ground, looked at the two with shock. She wasn't sure what was going to happen and she did not want to see either of them get hurt more than they have already been. The girl quickly pushed herself from off the floor and stood in between them.

"Sir," she started as she looked over at Kenshin.

He put his hand on her shoulder and briskly nudged her aside while he continued to let his eyes focus on the boy on the ground. A smirk appeared on his face. "So what about it, Soujiro? We're even now."

The boy furrowed his brows as he recovered from the force and shock of the blow. "Hi-mura-san . . how dare . . you deceive a friend." His words didn't flow very well due to the fact that he was trying to steady his breathing. But, Kaoru noticed, as he was saying this there was a big smile on his face.

The girl quickly turned around to look at Kenshin and found that he too was smiling.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that this was going in a good direction after all. She then walked towards Soujiro and reached out her hand to help him up. But at that exact moment, Kenshin had also stretched out his hand for the other boy to grasp onto. Kaoru realized this and was about to pull her hand back when Soujiro quickly grabbed it.

"Thank you, Kamiya-san," he said with a broad smile. Then he looked over at Kenshin and said, "If you don't mind, Himura-san. I would like to borrow Kamiya-san for a moment."

Before the other could reply, Soujiro took hold of Kaoru's hand and quickly started walking the other way. Kenshin watched as the girl was being pulled away from him and grimaced slightly before heading towards his classroom.

Kaoru looked back with worry at Kenshin's figure as he started to walk away.

"Kamiya-san, don't worry about him. I want to show you something," Soujiro said sincerely.

The young woman looked back at him with widened blue eyes and then lowered her eyelids as she nodded her understanding. Together they walked towards the back of school and she found herself being led up the stairs to the rooftop.

As Soujiro opened the door, a gust of fresh wind blew in and Kaoru took a deep breath. The other man let go of her hand as he walked towards the railing and leaned his back against it as he looked at the girl. "Whenever I feel troubled, I always come here. Maybe you can find some peace here, too."

Kaoru nodded as she walked towards him slowly. She stood next to him and placed her hands on the railing as she tilted her head towards the sky. The heavens were such a beautiful shade of blue and wisps of clouds seemed to dot it here and there. It was absolutely breathtaking. She took in a deep breath as she felt a cool breeze blow by. Her raven-black hair flew about and she let her eyelids gently flutter to a close.

It had been a long time since she had felt this comfortable.

She seemed to have forgotten that Soujiro was standing next to her and started falling into a world of her own. Memories of days once lost began to pass through her mind. The image of her mother who was looking at her with such vibrant eyes of warmth and love . . the image of her kind-hearted father who always worked hard for his family to have a good life . . the both of her parents whom she so dearly loved. All those blissful moments began to infiltrate her mind and soul.

Soujiro smiled as he looked at Kaoru. She looked different now than how she appeared whenever he saw her with Kenshin. Instead of an emotionless and somewhat tense visage, she now donned a comfortable and happy expression. He watched her for a moment longer before talking.

"Are you feeling better now, Kamiya-san?" he asked with warmth lacing his words.

Kaoru opened her eyes as if she had been brought out from a dream. "Ah . . yes, I'm okay now, sir." She quickly looked over and saw that his blue eyes were staring into hers. She felt her cheeks heat up and turned her eyes towards the ground.

"I'm not Himura-san. I'm just his friend and I would rather that you not call me by sir."

" . . ." Kaoru didn't lift her head for she felt at a loss for what to do.

"I guess there's not much you can do when you're with Himura-san, but when he's not here you should talk comfortably, Kamiya-san," he regarded.

The girl looked up at him and found him smiling at her softly.

"You don't need to talk so formally around me," Soujiro said. Kaoru found herself turning away from his gaze again as she wondered what to say in reply.

"No . .no sir . . I." The young man's smile faltered a little as he heard her call him 'sir' once again.

"I know we haven't known each other long, but I'm your friend. And friends should talk comfortably around one another, right?"

Kaoru stepped back and clasped her hands together as she nervously glanced at him, "I . . I'd better be going, sir. Himura-san may wonder where I am."

Soujiro furrowed his brows. "Kamiya-san, why do you do this to yourself? Do you honestly not care about how he treats you?"

Her eyes widened in shock as he heard what he said and she hastily turned away from him. The girl's heart clenched in pain as Soujiro seemed to vocalize the badgering thoughts in her mind. With a cautious look back at him she replied, "It .. it's in a contract. I . . I . . belong to him now." Kaoru had choked out the last few words before taking a deep breath and continuing. "I wanted to repay the debt that my father had . . and . . this was the only way. I can't back down from what I've agreed to with Seijuro-san." When she had told him her situation, it seemed as if the wounds of her heart had reopened. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes, but she held them inside of her.

A long moment of silence passed by before the boy sadly nodded having fully understood what the girl had said to him.

"You know, Kamiya-san," as Soujiro turned around and leaned his arms on the railing of the rooftop and looked at the sky, "you remind me a lot of myself when I was young. I used to think that being strong was everything. That I couldn't cry. That I couldn't be thought of as weak. But," he said as he looked over at Kaoru. "But it's okay to be weak sometimes. It's okay to cry sometimes. After all . . you're only human." He smiled softly.

His words echoed in Kaoru's mind. Ever since her father had died, she had not let herself shed a tear over the death, not even at the funeral. She felt that she had to be strong and help her mother through it. She felt that the burden of repaying the debt was also on her shoulders so she went to Hiten Mitsurugi Incorporated to meet with Seijuro-san. A few hot tears began to trickle down from her eyes as she understood the full impact of the meaning behind his words.

She smiled and nodded her head. Soujiro looked at her relieved and with utmost gentleness wiped a few of the tears off of her cheek.

Kaoru watched Soujiro and her heart warmed. He seemed to know her so well even though they never really talked. Her smile grew broader at his care.

"My," Soujiro started in a pleasant tone, "you're so beautiful when you smile. I always thought you were pretty since I first met you and . ." The boy smiled embarrassed as he looked down on the ground and scratched the back of his head. A faint blush began to appear on the boy's cheeks. Kaoru chuckled at his expression. Soujiro looked at the girl with his eyes twinkling in excitement when he heard her voice. It was the first time he had heard her laugh.

"My, this is going to be a wonderful day since I got the chance to see you smile, Kaoru-san," he said.

Kaoru's cheeks brightened into a red hue as she heard him compliment her and she was pleasantly surprised to hear him address her as Kaoru instead of her surname.

"Himura-san has to see how beautiful you look when you smile . ." Soujiro started, but once he had mentioned the man's name Kaoru's face instantly stiffened. Being with the brown-haired young man had made her forget her situation for a brief moment, but when she heard Kenshin's name her mind came crashing back to reality.

"Himura-san . . Himura-san's a pretty good guy if you get to know him.," he said quietly as he examined Kaoru's facial expression.

"I . . I don't know why he's like that now, but it is not because he has a grudge against you, Kaoru-san. Actually . . actually he has some skeletons in the closet himself," Soujiro continued when she didn't say anything.

"Skeletons in the closet?" she asked a bit surprised by the new information.

Soujiro nodded. "Himura-san may be more like you than you know."

"What do you mean?" The girl's eyes widened in curiosity as she waited for his response.

Soujiro looked thoughtful before deciding that he would tell her. "Well, from what Sagara-san has told me . . . Himura-san's parents died a long time ago when he was a boy and Seijuro-san took him in."

Kaoru eye's widened in shock. She would never have guessed. Her eyes saddened as she thought of the boy. No wonder there was always an aura of sadness and loneliness around him. She turned away from Soujiro and leaned forward over the railing to look down at the school grounds to clear her mind. The freshly mowed green lawn, the oval-shaped school track, the pool, the tennis courts . .they were all very beautiful from above. But Kaoru found herself continuously having her thoughts drifting towards Kenshin.

She wondered about the scar on the left side of his face and knitted her brows in thought. _How did he get it?_ _Would that have to do with his past also?_

_Ring_

The school bell had rung signaling that it was time to start the first class. Kaoru looked over her shoulder and to her surprise had found that Soujiro had already left. She turned around and opened the door leading back into the school. She then ran down the stairs.

"Oof!" Books clattered to the floor as the girl had run into another person.

"I'm sorry," she said sincerely. She bent down and picked up the books that were dropped onto the ground and handed them back to the owner.

"Well, well," the masculine voice drawled out slowly. "If it isn't our doll."

Kaoru looked up and widened her eyes. The person that she had bumped into was none other than Takeda Kanryuu.

"I hope she's not trying to ignore us," another said. The young woman recognized the voice as the girl that was always with Kanryuu, Kaede.

The girl's face whitened as she saw malicious intent flash in the both of their eyes. Kanryuu raised one of his arms and blocked the girl's way downstairs. Kaede also went next to the girl and blocked any other possible exit the girl would have. Kaoru took a step back, but Kanryuu grabbed her chin and raised her head roughly towards his own. Their faces only seemed to be inches part from one another.

His eyes bore into her own eyes menacingly as a small lop-sided smirk appeared on the side of his face. "I hope you didn't think that I would stop bothering you after what Kenshin said the last night. After all . . you're _nothing_ to him. I'm sure he wouldn't mind that much if I were to borrow you for a moment."

Gathering up her courage, Kaoru looked at him defiantly with her piercing blue eyes. "I would appreciate it if you move your arm," she said while iterating each word harshly. Kanryuu loosened his grip on her chin in surprise at the sudden courage that seemed to spurt forth from the girl.

"What? What the hell did you say just now?" Kaede asked in anger.

After the initial setback of hearing her reaction, fury began to shoot up through Kanryuu's body. A small tic developed in his left eye as he grabbed the girl's chin even tighter.

"You bitch! I'm warning you . . it'll be best if you stick next to Kenshin when you go anywhere from now on. Because if you don't . . . if you don't," he repeated. "You don't know what I'll do to you." He roughly let go of her chin and her head was jerked to the side from the sheer force.

Before she had time to look up again, she heard Kanryuu whisper in her ear in a low, cold voice. "Keep that in mind, doll."

With those words said, he and Kaede left the girl alone. Kaoru stood there unmoving at the top of the stairs and even though they were out of her sight, Kanryuu's voice still rung in her ears.

* * *

Kenshin threw down his backpack the moment he stepped through the door of his house and walked upstairs to his bedroom. Kaoru glanced at him uneasily as she started to follow him. Once they reached the third floor and were standing in front of the young man's room he said, "I don't need your right now. Do something else." He didn't even glance back at her as he opened the door.

The girl took a step back and nodded. "Yes, sir."

After seeing him go inside, Kaoru walked over to her own room. That day of school seemed to go by like a blur to her. She steadily opened the door and walked over to her bed and sat down. Thoughts began to bombard her mind. Mainly thoughts about him.

Kenshin.

He hadn't shouted or gotten angry at her since that morning. Instead he seemed to be too busy thinking about something else to even care. As she lay down on her bed, she wondered what it was that possibly could have been going through his mind. Then she thought about what Soujiro had told her that morning on the rooftop.

_Kenshin's biological parents are dead. He's adopted, _she murmured to herself in incredulity. _Has he . . _

The girl shook her head. She didn't want to think about it anymore because when she did a little part of her seemed to . . seemed to feel sorry for him. _But why should I? The way he treats people . . . the way he acts . . . but . . _

She grimaced and finally sat up again in the bed. Her thoughts then wandered towards the event on the staircase and what Kanryuu had said to her. A cold shiver ran down her spine as she remembered his threat. The way that the man had stared at her . . . the way that his icy, wiry fingers had touched her . . she couldn't forget it. Kaoru closed her eyes and tried to steady her breathing as she tried to drop the thought from her head.

After clearing her mind, the girl reached over and opened the drawer next to her bed. Kaoru delicately took out a silver frame. Within the frame was a picture of her family. Kaoru was in the center wearing her light blue shirt and khakis with her parents on either side of her. The three of them were smiling brightly as they were in the motion of waving towards the camera. Tears began to fill her eyes as she thought of those times.

A time in her life that she would never get back.

As Kaoru reminisced about her past, warm crystal-like tears began to flow from her blue eyes. This time she didn't try to stop them, but let them flow freely.

After all, she was human.

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- To be continued

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**Author's Notes :**

Please leave a review! Thanks so much! I had trouble with this chapter especially so I probably will go back and fix some stuff later on.

_A note about Kaoru's character:_

Unlike the anime, she has not lashed out physically with her bokken and/or threatened people with her cooking (hehe). Instead, she has a silent perpetual sense of strength. To be able to shoulder the burden of repaying the debt, she had to be strong. To be able to put up with those taunts and constant blows to her self-worth, she has to be strong. To have lost her father and to have only a shell of a mother and be able to continue on living and forgiving those people who have done her harm, she is strong.

And the reason why she is not acting like her tomboy-ish self and lashing back at people with either her fists or words is because she was the one that had asked to be taken in. She understands that.

She understood that ever since she had laid eyes on the building that day.

Forgive me for this long rant, but that's how I feel. I know it's painful to see Kaoru go through this, but it's angst. Hehe . . but it'll start getting better soon.

Special thanks to HitokiriSky, Eternal-Senshi-S, Oni Tokage, baka deshi, Vivi, Sano Luvs Me, kenshin's angel, De Lazy Lime, cyjj, Coodle, Piper, Ochanoko, super, Sugar-Crazy-Fox, cutie-chan-xd3, rkfan24, Lendra-chan, Reignashii, Misu no Yami, Mz. Amber Eyes, JouChan, Baby Kaoru-sama, Chibi Kiki, Silent Tears of Agony, S3R3nity, tooQie, Ryoga, stranger, Tenshi-no-Hana-chan, Fuu, rain angst, Raeyn-chan, Spike-Faye, Katana Midori, Erica, bonessasan, nobody, MizzLee, kkfan, and Kiichi Dazai for reviewing! hugs everyone


	12. Red Wine

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Disclaimer : **Rurouni Kenshin is the property of Nobuhiro Watsuki, Shonen Jump, Viz, and Sony Productions. 

* * *

**Possession**

Donna8157

* * *

**Chapter 12 : Red Wine**

Kenshin walked over to the window and ran his hand through his short, red hair. He looked out and saw that the sky was a magnificent blend of purples and reds as the sun started to dip below the horizon. A small, almost unnoticeable tender smile appeared on his face as he crossed his arms, leaned back against the wall, and admired the view. __

After a while, his throat began to feel parched. He wanted some water. Kenshin was about to ring the buzzer to call Kaoru inside, but decided against it. He would go down to the kitchen himself. As he walked down the stairs and arrived on the second floor, he heard noises coming in through his father's study. He stopped and walked over towards the door. Then the young man leaned over and placed his ear next to it.

"What were you thinking when you took her in, Hiko?" a shrilly female voice berated. "That boy has obviously got you wrapped up around his finger if you were willing to take back her father's debt just so that she could work for him."

A man's voice gruffly replied, but Kenshin could not hear what he said for the voice was too low.

"What?!?! I hope you didn't just ask me to be quiet!" the wife shrieked.

"Claire, please lower your voice! There are people in this house," Hiko replied back as his voice grew louder. Kenshin could tell that his father's patience was being tried. He stood back up and walked back to his room. His mother's voice replaying in his mind.

This was not the first time he had heard them fight.

The woman had never liked him ever since she had laid eyes on him. Ever since that day Hiko had taken him into their house. In fact, the only reason the woman had allowed him to stay was because Hiko had lied to her and told his wife that the seven-year-old boy was a son of a distant cousin of his that passed away. She begrudgingly agreed to keep him after hearing that he had some sort of blood relation to Hiko himself.

It seemed to be an open secret in the community that he was adopted.

In the beginning, rumors had spread about the little kid that the Seijuro family brought in and for a while, Kenshin had believed that the Seijuros had took him in only for publicity's sake. At least that was how his wife had presented the situation.

_"Oh, you know my husband. He just has such a big heart. No one else would want to take in that boy, but he did._"

Kenshin grimaced at the memories as he forgot about the water and walked up the stairs towards his room again. He shook his head so that he could clear his thoughts. But as he tried to . .only more images seemed to bombard his mind. His parents .. his biological dad . .his biological mom. Kenshin's hand that was holding onto the banister tightened and his knuckles turned white as he thought back to that night.

He grit his teeth as he took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a second.

He needed alcohol.

As he arrived onto the third floor, he saw Kaoru come out from Sanosuke's room. _How dare she!_

* * *

_Earlier that day_

_THUD_

Kaoru's head shot up as she heard the sudden noise. She quickly wiped off her tears with the back of her hand and put the picture of her family back into the drawer. Then she got out of bed and smoothed out the creases on her clothes as she walked towards her door. The sound seemed to have come from Sanosuke's room across the hall.

She walked out and without knocking, quickly rushed into the other's room.

The place was a mess. There were boxes, papers, and items thrown about the entire area. She looked at the scene a bit confused and found Sanosuke standing amidst it all with a similar expression on his face.

"Jou-chan . . what are you doing here?" he asked. His hands were holding a large cardboard box and he was in the middle of moving it towards the other side of the room.

Kaoru looked down a bit embarrassed by her sudden intrusion into the man's room. "Sir .. I .. I heard a noise and wanted to see if you were okay."

Sanosuke smiled broadly as he put down the box and walked over to her. He gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "Thanks jou-chan. But I'm doing just fine."

She nodded her head meekly and then looked around the room once more. "What are you doing, sir?"

Sano turned around and started to walk back towards the center of the room. "I found an apartment and I'm going to move out of here."

Kaoru's eyes widened a bit in surprise. "You're leaving?" she asked in wonder.

The man turned back towards her and grinned haphazardly. "That is . .unless you want me to stay." He meant to say it jokingly, but it came out in a rather serious tone. The girl had taken notice of that, but didn't know how to respond. She just avoided his eyes awkwardly as she let her gaze fall onto her feet.

Sanosuke instantly wished he could take back the words that he had just spoken. He laughed uneasily as he scratched the back of his head. "I'm just playing with you, jou-chan. Don't take me seriously."

Kaoru nodded her head slowly as she looked back up at him. "Do you want me to help you pack, sir?"

Sano looked around the room and studied it for a moment. "Nah. I'm pretty much done here. Why don't you just go rest? You just started getting better now."

"Are you sure, sir?" she asked. From the boxes and junk on the floor, it looked like he was far from done with packing.

Sanosuke smiled at her reassuringly. "I'm sure, jou-chan. I've got it under control."

Kaoru nodded her head as she left the room. The brown-haired man watched as she closed the door. He shook his head. He couldn't believe he had said something that idiotic. What was he thinking? In fact, what was he doing? Actually, the main reason that Sanosuke was leaving was because of her. He didn't know why he felt the way he did when he looked at her and he thought that the best thing was just to leave. He didn't want a repeat of what happened the other night.

* * *

After Kaoru closed Sanosuke's door, she turned around to go back to her room. She flinched in shock as she saw Kenshin leaning against the wall.

"He . . he was packing . . sir. I just wanted to see if he needed any help," she said in a flurry.

". . ." Kenshin stared at Kaoru without replying to what she had said. After a while he opened his mouth as he was opening the door to his room. "Go get some liquor."

"Yes, sir." She went downstairs to the wine cellar after she heard his low voice. A few minutes later, she came back up with a bottle of red wine. It was the first thing she had seen down there. Kenshin took the bottle from her hands and poured it into a glass. He drank the entire thing without taking a breath. Afterwards, he refilled it and emptied the cup once again.

Kaoru watched with a bit of worry knit in her eyebrows. She looked over towards the bottle that she had brought him and found that there was only a quarter of the wine still left. When Kenshin reached over to pour some more wine in his glass, she found that his hands were shaking. Kaoru pushed the bottle to the side.

"You've had too much, sir."

"Bring it back!!" Kenshin widened his eyes and yelled at the young woman. She noticed that there was already an impediment in his speech as if he were already drunk.

"You should stop drinking, sir. You . ." she started as she looked at the red-haired man unwaveringly.

Kenshin narrowed his eyes. "You . . you should just obey my orders! That's your job! Don't even think about telling me what to do! You're just my toy!"

Kaoru's body stiffened from the impact of his harsh words. Kenshin, who was still roused up, breathed heavily as he glared fiercely at the woman in front of him. Between her hair, he could see her blue eyes. They looked hurt from what he had just said. He looked away from her and grabbed the bottle and poured another glass full of wine. He stared at the red wine for a moment and then unsteadily ambled towards Kaoru.

His lavender eyes focused and unfocused as he looked at her. He then slowly lifted his hand that was holding the glass of wine and brought it over her head. He tilted the glass over and the red liquid was poured onto the girl. The wine drenched her hair and dripped from her face, but the girl stood there emotionless and there seemed to be no movement in her eyes. Only her red lips were shut tightly as if she felt ashamed.

Kenshin brought his arm down after he poured all the wine out from the glass. He steadied his feet as he took a step back to look at her. The red wine flowed from her head to her feet. His eyes blurred and for a second the image of red wine turned to blood. His eyes widened in horror and he shook his head. He placed a hand over his forehead as he tried to steady his breathing.

_It's wine. Not blood. Not blood.. _, he reassured himself. He put down the glass and grasped onto the handle of his chair as he clumsily sat back down. Once he cleared his mind, he looked back up at the girl.

"Come here," he said in a husky voice.

Kaoru gradually walked over to him and he got up from his seat. He stared at her expressionless face and brought face closer to hers. He lightly touched her lips with his own. The young woman's eyes grew wide, but then her eyelids slowly started to flutter to a close. A small tear appeared on her cheek. The taste of the wine and salt flowing down from her face was sent to him through his tongue and he slowly separated his lips from hers.

Silence enveloped the room as the young man looked at her.

"This is your job . . . you just have to obey my orders . . .just like you did right now," he said in a slightly hoarse voice as he broke the quiet atmosphere. As he looked at her with her head down, his pupils started to tremble.

"Go back!" Kenshin quickly took his eyes off of her and turned around.

Kaoru slowly opened her eyes at his loud voice. She bowed to him and went to her room. As Kenshin heard the door shut close, he threw the glass that was on the table onto the floor.

It shattered into a thousand pieces.

* * *

The moment Kaoru walked into her room, she fell onto her bed as if she was crumbling down. She lifted her hands and covered her face as a single tear flowed down her cheek.

* * *

Kaoru had fallen asleep that night without changing her clothes and in the morning when her alarm clock went off she found herself waking up to the stench of red wine. She made a face as she slowly started to get up from out of the bed and make her way towards the bathroom. As she stumbled over to the sink, she saw herself in the mirror.

The red stains on her clothes form the wine, the tangled hair, and her dull eyes were staring back at her. She remembered what Kenshin had said to her the last night.

_"Don't even think about telling me what to do! You're just my toy!" _Those words that had so easily spilled from his mouth had stung.

Badly.

Her sight seemed to sway as she mechanically slipped out of her clothes and turned on the shower. She shut her eyelids as she let the scalding hot drops of water beat down on her body. It was almost as if it was a cleansing for her. The strong scent of wine that had crusted itself to her skin was finally disappearing.

* * *

A throbbing pain in Kenshin's head finally forced him to wake up. His eyelids were so heavy and his head felt so groggy that he felt as if he couldn't open his eyes. Feeling thirsty, he reached his hand over towards his night stand hoping to grab a cup of water. But as he felt around the wooden table, he noticed that there was no cup. He weakly turned his head and opened his eyes.

In front of his face was a cup full of water. There was someone holding it. Kenshin's eyes traveled up and found Kaoru holding the cup towards him. He got up with some trouble and took the cup from her. While he was drinking the water, he raised his eyes and looked up at Kaoru. He couldn't see the expression on her face because it was covered by her long, dark hair even more so than other days. Her downcast eyes seemed to be avoiding his gaze. Kenshin took his eyes off of her and gulped down the water.

"I'll go and wake up Sagara-san and come back, sir." She walked out of the room. Kenshin's pupils followed her as he watched her close the door and frowned tightly. He tightened his grip on the cup.

* * *

_KNOCK, KNOCK_

Kaoru stepped into Sanosuke's room after knocking and hearing no response from within. She found him sprawled out on the bed unable to get up. She maneuvered her way through the maze of boxes and papers towards the window. She flung the curtain open and bright sunlight poured inside the room. Sanosuke grunted as he felt the blinding light hit his face and knit his brows together. He quickly shifted his body and covered the pillow over his head.

Kaoru smiled lightly at seeing his actions and went towards the table and filled the glass with water.

"Wake up, sir. Today's your first day of school. . . you shouldn't be late," she chided.

Sano, who had his head buried beneath the pillow, quickly got up when he heard Kaoru's voice. He seemed to have gotten up too quickly because he grabbed onto his head and cringed from the sudden movement.

"You must be thirsty. Here sir . ." Kaoru held a glass of water in front of him. The other man stared at the cup for awhile before reaching out to grab hold of it. But as he did, he felt Kaoru's fingers with the tip of his finger and instantly pulled back. The girl had also let go of the cup thinking that the other man had a hold of it already.

The glass fell to the floor and broke into pieces.

Kaoru widened her eyes as she quickly bent down and started picking up the shards. "I'm sorry, sir. I'll clean it right away." She took the pieces in her hand and threw them into the trash.

"No . .no .. it's my fault. I'll clean it. You might hurt your hand," he said once he was shaken from his stupor. He quickly bent down and started to help her.

"Ouch!!"

Because Sano had been in such a hurry and in such a perplexed state, he didn't notice the piece of glass that was near his foot. He let out a small cry and sat back onto the bed when he had accidentally stepped on it.

"Are you okay, sir?" Kaoru looked up in shock and made her way towards him as she examined his foot. There was quite a big piece of glass embedded within the heel of his foot. Her face paled ever so slightly.

"Please bear with the pain for a little bit." With her brows knitted in concentration, Kaoru took out the piece of glass with utmost care. Sanosuke grit his teeth as he bore with the pain. When the glass was finally removed, blood continuously poured forth from his foot. The girl got up and went to the drawers to take out some bandages and gauze. She then bent down on her knees and diligently wrapped the gauze around his feet.

"It's done now, sir," she said as she tied the knot. She looked up at him and her face seemed to be flushed with relief. Kaoru then went back and picked up the remaining pieces of glass.

"It's . . it's okay. Just leave it. I'll do it . ." the spiky-haired man said as he sat idly on the bed.

"No. You should get ready for school. Just wait a while. I'll help you." Kaoru picked up the remaining pieces of glass and threw them in the trash can. Sano just watched her helplessly. He wished that he could lessen her burden somehow.

* * *

By the time Kaoru had finished cleaning the room and walked back to Kenshin's room, she had found that he had already dressed himself and had finished getting ready.

"Is Sano not up yet?" The man put on his black uniform jacket without glancing at the girl who just came inside.

"No . . he's awake. He stepped on a piece of glass and hurt his foot."

"Hurt?" Kenshin's eyes widened with worry as he quickly turned to look at the girl.

Kaoru lowered her head and clenched her fingers together. "I'm sorry . . It was because I was careless. I dropped . ."

"No. I hurt myself because I was acting like an idiot." Sanosuke came into the room and interrupted the girl. As he came inside limping on one of his feet, Kaoru quickly went towards him to help. She put his arm around her neck to support him. The complexion on Kenshin's face darkened as he looked at the both of them.

"Are you okay?" Kenshin asked.

"Yeah. Jou-chan took care of it for me," Sano said gruffly as he limped towards his friend.

"That's . . good." Kenshin looked at himself at his full-size mirror and buttoned his jacket.

Sano watched him for awhile and then broke the silence. "I'm . .I'm moving tonight." Kaoru who had been holding onto Sano looked at him in surprise. She had no idea that he was going to move so early. Kenshin also looked over at him with widened eyes. "I went around yesterday to look for an apartment. Luckily there was an empty one near the school so I decided to move in today."

Kenshin looked away and answered pertly, "It's not too late if you move in a little later since you got your foot hurt."

"I've had worse before. This little scratch doesn't even hurt," he said as he let go of the girl and started walking towards his friend to prove it. He winced as he felt pressure put onto his foot and lost his balance, Kaoru saw this and put her hands around him to quickly steady him. Sanosuke looked over at the girl and laughed uneasily. "Thanks jou-chan."

Kenshin narrowed his eyes and looked away as heat started to fill his head.

Sano saw how his friend reacted and quickly looked back at him. "I . . but since I'm moving anyway, Kenshin . . I just thought that it would be better if I get it over with quickly."

"All right. Give me the directions to your place and I'll have Aoshi drop off your stuff," he said as he took one final look at himself and made his way towards the door.

"Thanks, Kenshin . ." Sano said as he looked at him walk out. Then Kaoru and him both made their way out the door and down the stairs to get ready to go to school.

"Roosterhead!" a voice shrieked. Kaoru and Sanosuke stopped in their steps as they looked off to the side.

A short girl with pigtails wearing a maid's black dress came bounding down the hall towards the both of them.

"Weasel-girl," the man stated. "What's gotten into you?"

Misao narrowed her eyes as she looked up at him. "I heard you're moving out!"

"Yeah, I've been wanting to get a place of my own."

"But . . but wouldn't you want to stay here with Himura?" she said her eyes filling with sadness. If Sanosuke were to leave, she knew that she wouldn't be able to see much of him and she considered him to be a dear friend since she had grown up near him.

Sano cocked a grin as he looked at her. "Hey . . why don't we throw a house warming party at my place tonight when I move in?"

Misao brightened up. "That's great! Aoshi-sama and I have tonight off."

The taller man frowned slightly. "You're gonna bring that iceberg to the party? He's gonna ruin it!"

The girl furrowed her brows as she glared at her friend. "_What _did you call Aoshi-sama?"

Sanosuke laughed as he patted her back in a friendly gesture. "I was just playing, weasel girl. Anyway, I have school to go to. I'll see you later at the party. Aoshi should have the directions."

"Okay," Misao replied and then looked over at the girl next to him. "Kaoru-san, you're also going right?"

Kaoru nodded her head. The smile on Misao's face grew wider as she clapped her hands together. "Great! This will be so much fun! I can't wait! But . ." Her face suddenly grew serious as she bit her bottom lip in concentration. "But . .what should I wear tonight? Aoshi-sama is going to be there and . . this is almost like a date. I have to find something nice . . like . ."

Sano chuckled as he shook his head and motioned for the both of them to start going. "Some things never change," he said with a smile as he thought of Misao's obsession with Aoshi. Kaoru smiled gently when she too thought of the energetic little maid.

When they were out of sight, Misao suddenly remembered something. "What happened to rooster-head's foot?" she muttered underneath her breath.

* * *

"Hi. I'm Sagara Sanosuke and thank you for having me in your class." Sano bowed a bit awkwardly after his short introduction towards the students. When he lifted his head back up, he noticed Soujiro waving at him from the middle of the room.

_Soujiro's in this class?_, Sano thought. He looked elsewhere around the room and found Shishio, Yumi, Anji, Usui, Houji, and Iwanbou also in the same class.

"Why don't you sit over there, Sagara-san?" the teacher advised as he pointed towards the empty seat next to Iwanbou. The heavy kid turned and gave him a toothy smile.

Sanosuke shuddered as he started to walk with a slight limp towards the seat.

"Sensei, there's an empty seat here." Soujiro had jumped up from his seat and pointed to the seat next to him.

"Oh Seta-san . .you must know the new student already. Okay Sagara-san, please go sit next to him." Sanosuke let out a sigh of relief as he changed his direction and walked to his new seat.

After Sano sat down, Soujiro looked at him suspiciously.

"Okay, let's have our break." After the announcement, the teacher gathered his books and walked out of the classroom.

Soujiro turned towards his friend once he found that the teacher had left. "Sagara-san, why are you limping?"

"Che .. I got cut by a piece of glass this morning."

Soujiro widened his eyes at the severity of the situation. "Glass? Are you okay?"

Sano smirked. "Of course I'm okay! It's nothing! By the way, where is Kenshin's class?"

"Himura-san's class is at the other end of the hall. We'll see him during lunch."

Sanosuke nodded and found himself wondering about Kaoru. He wondered if she was okay. He definitely did not want to see a repeat of what happened the other day. He rubbed his forehead as he realized that he had seemed to faze out while thinking about the girl. He then looked over at Soujiro and remembered to ask him something.

"Oi Soujiro. I'm having a party at my apartment tonight. You coming?"

"You're moving?" The boy had a dubious look on his face. He had assumed that the man would live with Himura-san.

Sano nodded his head. "Yeah . . I wanted to get a place of my own."

"I see . well, I'll definitely be there, Sagara-san."

-

-

-

-

- To be continued

* * *

**Author's Notes :**

Please leave a review! Thanks very much! Hope you enjoyed the chapter.

_A note about the Contract:_

This is the contract that Kaoru had made with Hiko. In order to repay the debt, Kaoru had in essence practically signed her life away to Kenshin.

Special thanks to Ryoga, HitokiriSky, Dragon Master271, Oni Tokage, Vic'chonn, Eternal-Senshi-S, nobody, Tenshi-no-Hana-chan, kirie-kun, Himura-chan, Coodle, Katana Midori, plex, chibi frog, Piper, InuLimbo, kimi.the.water.spirit, Reignashii, rkfan246, Chibi Kiki, Jin, cyjj, cutiechanXD3, S3R3nity, Mz.Amber Eyes, spike-Faye, Miaka, rain angst, saotome, anna, Baby Kaoru-sama, andy, Britty ), and Fuu for reviewing! – hands out Sano cookies to everyone. Hehe.


	13. Broken

**

* * *

Disclaimer : **Rurouni Kenshin is the property of Nobuhiro Watsuki, Viz, Shonen Jump, and Sony Productions.

* * *

**Possession**

Donna8157

* * *

**Chapter 13 : Broken**

_What . . why is the mood so cold?_

When lunch time had come Soujiro, Sanosuke, Kenshin, and Kaoru had come gone to the cafeteria to eat. However, there was a heavy air that seemed to surround them as they sat down on the table and took out their food. Soujiro looked around and saw that the awkward mood wasn't going to disappear any time soon. He noticed how Sano was deftly trying to avoid the red-haired man's eyes and Kenshin seemed to be in a foul of a mood as ever.

Trying to think of something to lighten up the atmosphere the brown-haired boy suddenly remembered his time spent alone with Kaoru the other day on the roof. He smiled brightly as he looked around at his two friends. "That's right! Himura-san, you haven't seen Kamiya-san smile yet have you?"

Kaoru jerked up her head surprised at Soujiro's comment while Sanosuke and Kenshin turned their heads towards the boy and looked at him.

Soujiro smiled. "You had to see it. Kamiya-san is so pretty when she smiles." He looked over at Kaoru and saw that the girl quickly turned her head down, a bit embarrassed. "Kamiya-san, smile again. I'm sure Himura-san would be surprised, too."

". . ." Kaoru didn't look up for her face became a dark red hue.

Seeing that the girl was uncomfortable, Soujiro quickly stopped himself and frowned ever so slightly. "I'm sorry, Kamiya-san. I didn't mean to make you feel uneasy." He then shifted his gaze towards the two other young men and furrowed his brows. They had gone back to eating quietly with their eyes on the food again making the ambience tense.

"What's wrong with you, Sagara-san and Himura-san? Why is the mood so strange between you?"

Sanosuke slightly choked on his food as he looked up with widened eyes at the boy that sat next to him. "Wh . .what?"

"You two look like your nerves are on edge. Is there something wrong?" Soujiro asked with concern as he shifted his gaze between the two of them.

Trying to avoid Soujiro's contemplating eyes, Sanosuke looked back down at his food and seemed to find more interest in it than ever before. His hands that were holding the chopsticks seemed to start sweating and he had a hard time picking up the small morsels of rice.

"Sagara-san?" Soujiro questioned.

Sano jerked his head up and smiled uneasily. "Eh . . no – nothing's wrong, Soujiro."

The boy narrowed his eyes. The rooster head had to have been the worst liar ever. There was _definitely_ something wrong between the two of them, but Soujiro decided to stop probing further because it looked like neither of them were going to tell him anything. He sighed and then picked up his chopsticks. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

"Wow, this place is nice, Sagara-san!" Soujiro admired as he walked around the apartment with eyes twinkling in awe. Sanosuke's place was only two blocks away from the school itself and had one bedroom, one bathroom, a living room, and a small kitchen. Since it was on the fourth floor, it even had an outdoor terrace next to the bedroom that looked over downtown Kyoto.

Kenshin didn't seem to be interested in the new place for he just walked over towards the living room, buried his body in the white cushioned sofa, and shut his eyes.

"It seems that Aoshi already brought all my stuff here. I wonder when he and the weasel girl are coming . . . " Sano wondered aloud when he found all the boxes and other things stacked neatly in the corner. He walked over to the refrigerator and opened it. _Shit. I don't have food and this is supposed to be a party. _He shook his head as he closed it. He dug into his pockets to see if he had any money, but found that they were empty. He frowned. He would need to go to the bank to get some cash, but at this time of day the bank was already closed.

At these times, Sanosuke would usually ask Kenshin for some money but since what had been happening these past few days, he found that he couldn't bring himself to casually ask his friend. Things just seemed to have become awkward between the two of them. Sano found himself constantly being on edge in his presence ever since that night Kenshin had walked in on him in Kaoru's room.

He cringed mentally. Sanosuke still wasn't sure whether or not Kenshin had seen the kiss. He looked over towards the side cautiously and saw Kenshin sitting back in the sofa with Kaoru standing next to him. The man's brown eyes softened as his gaze lingered on the dark-haired woman. He wasn't sure what to make of those feelings that he had developed for her. He hated seeing her upset and instead wanted to make her smile.

Soujiro walked over to the kitchen seeing that Sanosuke was standing there absent-mindedly by the refrigerator.

"Sagara-san?"

Sanosuke was pulled out of his daze when he heard the other's voice. "Uh yeah . . Soujiro?"

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. It's just that I don't have any alcohol or food in here . . . and no money." He pouted as he emptied his pocket.

Soujiro smiled. "I'll go out and get some then." He turned around to grab his jacket from the chair.

"Thanks Soujiro. I'll pay you back later," Sanosuke said with an impish grin.

_I wonder how many times I've heard that_, Soujiro thought to himself as he shook his head lightly. Before he was about to walk out the door, he heard Kaoru's voice. He looked behind him and saw that she was slipping on her black heels.

"I'll go instead, sir," she said as she grabbed her coat from off the hanger.

"We can go together, Kamiya-san. You can't carry everything by yourself anyway." The boy's eyes softened as he watched her put on the coat and he opened the door for her allowing her to go first. He looked back at the two others and nodded. "I'll be back in a little while," he said with a wave and closed the door.

After Soujiro and Kaoru left the apartment, an oppressive feeling seemed to envelop the room where Kenshin and Sanosuke were. With a heavy feeling, the spiky-haired man walked over out to the living room and sat across the couch on a wooden chair. He looked around, trying to find something to allow his eyes to latch onto, anything but Kenshin.

" . .that day . ." Sano looked up surprised to see that his friend had spoke. His throat felt dry as he anticipated what the man was about to say.

"That day . . if you're fidgety about what happened that day," Kenshin started in a quiet voice, but to the other man it sounded louder than anything else. "There's no need. Everyone has that kind of curiosity. It's nothing that important. Don't feel so nervous around me just because of that one trifling kiss."

" . . ." Sanosuke felt his heart surge in pain when he realized that Kenshin really had seen him kissing Kaoru that night. But . . was it because of a passing curiosity? Was it nothing but a trifling kiss?

* * *

"Are you going to be okay carrying all of that, Kamiya-san?" Soujiro implored with his blue eyes tinged with worry as he watched the girl trudge up the stairs towards the entrance of Sanosuke's apartment. His hands were already full with bags and couldn't help her lessen the weight of her own.

"Yes, sir," she said breathlessly as she finally reached the front. She carefully placed the bags on the cement floor as she dug out the keys to the door in her coat pocket.

"Soujiro! Kaoru-san!" a familiar energetic voice cried out from behind. Kaoru looked behind her and noticed Misao come bouncing up the steps.

"Makimachi-san, it's nice to see you again," the boy said with a smile.

As Misao came closer towards the lit area, Kaoru noticed how different she looked from when she was wearing her maid's outfit. She was wearing a pair of black pants and a dark emerald green fitted shirt that matched the color of her eyes. It was obvious that she was out to impress someone. Kaoru smiled gently as she greeted her.

"Hello Misao . . oof."

Kaoru had been enveloped almost viciously in a bear hug as Misao pounced on her. It almost felt as if her ribs were being crushed, but the girl smiled nonetheless. It felt good to be embraced.

"Misao," someone addressed. "Kamiya-san needs to breathe."

The emerald-eyed girl quickly released her death grip on the other and smiled innocently as she turned towards Aoshi. She pouted. "I thought Kaoru-san could use a hug."

A ghost of a smile appeared on the man's face as he looked at the young woman. He then turned his attention towards Kaoru and Soujiro. "Good evening Seta-san. Kamiya-san." The both of them returned his greeting politely. Aoshi then bent down to pick up some of the bags that Kaoru had been holding.

"Aa . .thank you, Shinomori-san."

The tall man nodded as he stepped into the complex.

* * *

_KNOCK KNOCK_

"Himura!!! Rooster-head!!! Open up the door!"

Sanosuke was knocked out of his stupor and quickly got up to open the large oak door. In front of him stood Soujiro, Kaoru, Misao, and Aoshi with bags in each of their hands.

"What took you so long?" the pig-tailed girl accused as she narrowed her eyes and nudged him to move out of their way. She and the others walked towards the kitchen and dropped off the items on the floor. Kaoru and Misao then proceeded to put the food and drinks into the refrigerator as the others went to the living room to sit down.

"Aoshi, thanks for dropping off my stuff this morning," Sanosuke said with a grateful smile. "I couldn't have moved it all by myself."

"Anytime, Sagara-san," the other replied.

"So what did you get Soujiro? You better have gotten a lot of alcohol. It's not a party without it," Sano said with a wide grin.

"Hmm . ." Soujiro contemplated. He began to list items that he had gotten at the store with his fingers. "Water, tea, bananas, apples, granola . . umm . ." He looked over at his spiky-haired friend with a smile. "I'm sorry, Sagara-san, but I don't think I was able to get any liquor."

Sano blanched as he heard the list of food. "This is a party, NOT some sort of low carb health fest!" He scrunched up his nose in disgust as he sat back in the chair and crossed his arms.

Soujiro chuckled and shook his head. "Of course I got alcohol. You are very gullible sometimes, Sagara-san."

"That's because I can never tell when you're kidding and when you're serious. You have that same damn smile on your face all the time. How the hell am I to know what you're thinking?," Sano replied while waving his arms up in exaggeration. He was relieved to see that the others had come back. He and Kenshin had not uttered a word since Kenshin's little comment earlier.

The two young women then came into the living room. Misao was chatting animatedly with the other girl while gesturing with her hands. Kaoru only seemed to nod slightly at certain times. Sanosuke smiled when he saw how the others treated her and could tell that Kaoru felt comfortable around the other young woman.

"Okay, let's get this party started. Have you guys had Long Island Iced Tea before?" Sano asked as he got up from the chair and made his way to the kitchen.

An echo of no's were heard and the other grinned with satisfaction as he took out a couple bottles of hard liquor from the paper bags on the counter. He popped open the tops of the bottles and mixed the vodka, coke, gin, and other ingredients. A few minutes later, he came back with a couple of glasses filled with ice in hand.

"Here. Everyone have a glass," he said as he started to pour the concoction into the glass.

"In celebration of rooster head's arrival and new apartment!" Misao said as she reached for the liquor. Aoshi looked at her and motioned to stop her, but saw the small pout on her lips as he did. He sighed and nodded his head. Kenshin, too, who had been sitting there quietly finally took the glass and lifted it in the air for a toast.

"Cheers!" Kenshin said. Everyone toasted and drank the mixture. Kaoru hesitated for a moment as she looked at it, but then brought the glass to her mouth.

"How is it? The taste is great, right?" Sano asked with excitement.

Misao spat out the drink first and Soujiro followed in suit.

"How do you drink this stuff, Sagara-san? It's horrible!" Soujiro made a face as he studied the glass.

"You actually like this stuff, rooster head?" Misao asked in incredulity.

Kenshin got up out of his seat and poured the drink down the drain without saying a word. Sano looked at the three of them with an exaggerated frown. "You guys don't like it?" He then looked at Aoshi and Kaoru who sat opposite of him. He grinned when he saw that the both of them had a neutral expression on their visages. He quickly went over to their side and put an arm around the both of them. Sano glanced at them with a grin. "Jou-chan and Aoshi like it, don't you?"

"Sagara, remove your hand from my shoulders. Just because you're a little tipsy does not mean that I will allow you to take advantage of me," Aoshi said curtly as he looked at the man in the corner of his eyes.

Sanosuke paled and jerked his hand away from the other man. He felt dirty all of a sudden.

"Hey jou-chan. It looks like it's you and me only. These guys seem to have no taste at all," Sano said with a laugh as he winked at Kaoru.

Kaoru looked down at her cup and looked back up at the man. "Umm . . actually, sir . ."

Sano frowned playfully. "That's all right, it just means more of it for me." He laughed as he took Kaoru's glass and started emptying it into his mouth. After he finished the glass he looked over and sighed. "You know, jou-chan, you don't have to drink if you don't want to."

The girl nodded.

As the minutes ticked by and turned into hours, Aoshi and Misao thought that it was time for them to go. The man ended up having to carry her outside the apartment and hail for a taxi. It was too bad that she couldn't savor the fact that Aoshi was holding her for she was sleeping. He looked at the girl in his arms with a soft smile.

When the apartment was left with only four people, Soujiro noticed that the atmosphere seemed to grow tense again . . similar to how it was during lunch. The smile that had been there seemed to falter as he watched his two friends continuously drink.

"Himura-san, Sagara-san . . this is enough. You've drunk too much already," he said as he took away the bottles from their hands.

"No, put it back," Kenshin hoarsely ordered.

Soujiro narrowed his eyes when he saw that this was a situation in which he could not do anything. He sighed gruffly and not so gently placed the drink back on to the table. "I feel so frustrated when I'm around you two. I'm going to bed. Good night." The young man got up from his seat and walked to the bedroom.

Kenshin did not seem to pay him any attention and continued to empty shot glass after shot glass of hard liquor. Kaoru watched him helplessly. There was nothing she could do either to stop him. She then got up and walked to the bathroom to wash up. Once she came back outside she noticed the small terrace. With steady steps, she walked over and slid open the glass door.

The cool night breeze sent shivers down her spine, but it did not bother her. She went outside and stood there looking intently at the picturesque view of downtown Kyoto in awe. The bright lights and tall buildings were so very captivating. As she stood there, she noticed that it was almost day time. The sun seemed to creep up from its hiding place.

Feeling someone's gaze on her, she turned around. It was Sanosuke. Thinking that there was something wrong, she quickly went over to help him.

"I'm all right," he said as he ambled over and gave her an impish grin. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" He looked over at the view. The sunlight had hit the tall buildings and a reflection was cast over it.

Kaoru nodded in agreement as she looked out again and then turned to him, "How long have you been out here, sir?"

"For awhile now," he replied. Sano then looked into her blue eyes with sincerity. Maybe it was the alcohol that had given him more confidence, but he reached over and gently cupped her face with both his hands. Shocked, Kaoru looked at him with widened eyes of confusion.

He smiled at her expression. "Even though it's autumn, it's still cold in the morning. See, jou-chan? Your face is cold."

Sanosuke continued to gaze softly at her with his cinnamon brown eyes. _She is so beautiful, _he thought. Kaoru looked at him and felt at a loss for what to do so she just stood there unmoving and lowered her eyes. As Sano looked at her, his eyes fell on her pink petal-like lips. His pupils stirred ever so slightly as he remembered his feelings from that night he had kissed her. It wasn't a moment of confusion. It wasn't a trifling kiss.

Mesmerized, Sano slowly moved his calloused fingers towards her lips and he touched them ever so slightly. When Kaoru felt his touch, she trembled and a look of perplexity besieged her face. As Sano continued to look at her, he felt the sudden urge to kiss her again. It was at that moment that he woke himself up from his catatonic daze.

He blinked.

"Ah . . I'm sorry, jou-chan. You looked cold . .and . ." Sanosuke spoke ambiguously as he moved his hands away from her face and avoided her eyes. How could he have let himself do that?

"Thank you . . . for caring," she said in almost a whisper. The man looked up, surprised at what she had just said. There was a faint smile on her face as she looked at him. A feeling of relief crossed over his eyes and he smiled broadly.

_The feelings that I'm feeling right now . . what is it? _

* * *

Kenshin's fists started trembling.

"Himura . ." Soujiro was lying on his back and held his head with both hands. He wasn't a heavy drinker and the little alcohol that he had that night had given him the worst headache. He couldn't even open his eyes for they felt too heavy. When he felt that Kenshin was in the room, he called out for him. "Himura-san . . could you get me some water?"

Kenshin didn't even make a slight movement as he heard his friend's request.

"Himura-san," Soujiro repeated in a louder voice. When he saw that Kenshin wasn't going to do anything, he groggily got out of bed and walked over. "Fine. Be that way, Himura-san. I'll go get it myself," he said a bit irked. The young man's head started hurting more and he started feel nauseous as he staggered over to the kitchen. Laboriously, he got out the water from the kitchen and filled up the cup.

As he was drinking, he found his eyes staring at Kenshin who was standing there unmoving. _What is Himura-san doing?_, he wondered as he furrowed his brows. Once he put the cup of water down, he walked towards his friend and tapped him on the back.

"Himura-san."

Kenshin didn't even look at his friend and just headed towards the bathroom.

_What has gotten into him?_, Soujiro wondered and then he saw them. Sanosuke and Kaoru were outside in where Kenshin's eyes were fixed upon. The both of them were standing side by side while leaning against the balcony looking at the scene before them. Soujiro grinned as he walked towards the glass door and slid it open.

"Are you on a date with Kamiya-san so early in the morning, Sagara-san?"

" . . ."

Soujiro knit his brows together. "I guess it is true seeing that the both of you aren't saying anything."

Sanosuke's eyes widened as he gestured wildly with his hands. "W-what are you talking about, Soujiro? Jou-chan and I are just enjoying the view from up here. Anyway . . you're up really early. I thought you wouldn't be up at all today."

"Hmm. Did you think I was going to sleep all day because of that? I could easily . . oop." Soujiro's face had turned a bit green and he rushed to the bathroom. He knocked urgently on the door with one hand while using the other to cover his mouth. "Himura-san. Himura-san!" he called out in a muffled voice. "Himura-san, I need to use the restroom!" Once Kenshin came out, Soujiro rushed inside.

"Ooh..wheck.." The boy was leaning over the toilet and Kaoru had followed him inside to pat his back. As Kenshin watched the girl, his frown deepened and he shut the bathroom door.

"Hurry up!" the red-haired man yelled. Kaoru was the last one to get washed up and hearing the urgency in his voice, she hurriedly got out. Strands of her black hair were still sticking to her face because of the water that was left. When Sanosuke saw her, he gently moved the few strands and put it behind her ear. Kenshin saw the gesture and roughly turned around as he walked to the front door.

"What is this!?! You haven't cleaned my shoes yet!" Kenshin turned around and glared at the young woman as he shouted at her. Kaoru knit her brows together to control her anger as she rushed over and started cleaning his shoes.

"Forget it!!" He pushed her away brusquely and put on his shoes. Kaoru who had been on the ground, got up and followed him out. Soujiro and Sanosuke watched with a tight frown on their faces as they too started going outside.

_SLAP_

Soujiro and Sanosuke's eyes widened as they saw the sight in front of them. The blue-eyed boy quickly sprinted over to Kenshin.

"What are you doing?" Soujiro shouted as he blocked Kenshin's hand that was in mid-air before he was about to slap her again. Kaoru sat there on the ground with her hand over her cheek and her eyes wide with shock. A small trickle of blood started to flow down near her lips.

"Move!" Kenshin glared fiercely at the other boy with eyes the color of amber. Soujiro saw this and his hold on him tightened. He wasn't going to let him go.

"I won't move! What did Kamiya-san do wrong that you're hitting her!" he asked with piercing eyes.

"It's none of your business! It's her and my problem!" Kenshin said as he struggled to get out of the other boy's grip.

"You bastard!" Sanosuke rushed forward and threw his fist in Kenshin's face. The red-haired man fell to the floor from the unexpected punch. Seeing that Kenshin was hurt, Kaoru quickly got up and went over to him to help him get up.

Sanosuke narrowed his eyes as he looked at his friend. "Since I've come back to Japan, you've only shown me a side of yourself that disappoints me, Kenshin!!" He clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles had turned stark white. He tried to hold back his anger.

Kenshin smirked as he sat there on the ground and wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. His amber eyes glared up at his spiky-haired friend as he stood back up. "Disappointment? What disappointment? Are you disappointed that you saw a side of me that you have never seen? Who is she that you would stand up for her? She's just a bitch that sold herself because of money . ."

Soujiro could not contain his anger anymore and punched Kenshin in the stomach. The man crumpled over with his red hair falling in front of his face and his hands clutching his gut.

"Himura! There is a limit to a person being patient. Were you always such a low being?" he spat out as he breathed heavily.

Kenshin was crouched over and he slowly looked up at Soujiro with a callous grin on his face. He laughed harshly. "Yeah . . I'm just a low being. Did you just find that out? I guess you've overrated me all this time." The red-haired man stood up again with some trouble.

"You . . you . ." Soujiro grabbed onto Kenshin's collar and was about to punch him in the face when Kaoru got between them and blocked him. Soujiro put down his fist as he saw the girl's tear-filled eyes.

"You stay out of it!!!!" Kenshin screamed violently as he roughly pushed her to the side.

_CRASH_

There was a sharp nerve-racking sound. The three of them turned their eyes towards the direction from whence the sound came from. It was almost as if time had stopped as they stood there in shock. Kaoru, who had been pushed by Kenshin, had collided into the glass door and was on the floor covered in blood. A small pool of the thick red liquid was around her and seemed spread. There were pieces of broken glass scattered around everywhere.

"Jo – jou-chan!!!" Sano cried out in a shaky voice as he dashed over to the girl. He didn't feel the pain in his feet from the pieces of glass and he quickly brushed the glass off of Kaoru's body with trembling fingers. "C-call an ambulance!"

Soujiro quickly came to his senses and took out his cell phone to dial 119. (This is 911)

Kenshin stood there stiffly and couldn't move from his spot. His feet felt as if they were rooted in the ground and his eyes that were trembling could not move from its place on the girl. Only she was visible in his eyes. Kaoru, who was lying on the ground with blood seeping out from her body. He shook his head slightly. He couldn't believe the sight before his eyes. It was so much like . . so much like . .

Kenshin didn't feel Soujiro's touch or voice that was calling out to him. Instead all he felt was fear.

* * *

The smell of disinfectant oscillated within the bright white hallways of the hospital. Sanosuke was hovering back and forth restlessly. He couldn't seem to calm down his heart that was racing with worry. Soujiro was leaning against the wall with his eyes fixed on the double doors where Kaoru's operation was taking place. And Kenshin . . Kenshin was sitting on the plastic chair with his head down and frighteningly quiet.

"If something happens to Kaoru, I'm not going to let you get away with it. You hear me, Kenshin?!" Sanosuke threatened in a strained voice with his back to the man. He couldn't even face him right now because he was so angry.

Kenshin was deaf to all that was going around him. His mind and heart had been thrown into turmoil and his pupils shook with fear. He couldn't believe what he had done. He fingers clenched tightly onto his pants as his heart seemed to writhe with pain.

_CLICK_

As the door of the operation room opened, Sano and Soujiro rushed to the doctor. Kenshin looked up and locked his fingers together as he stared at the physician's mouth.

"There's no need to worry. Luckily, there was no big injury." When the spiky-haired man heard those words all the nervousness and anxiety that had gathered in his system left. He sank to the floor with unfettered relief.

"I'm glad . ." Soujiro said as a smile reappeared on his face. A small tear fell from his blue eyes as he shut his eyelids.

Strength went into Kenshin's locked fingers and he dropped his head. An image of Kaoru flashed through his mind.

-

-

-

-

- To be continued.

* * *

**Author's Notes :**

Please leave a review to tell me what you think! Thanks! I hope you enjoyed the chapter =D And yes, Kenshin remembers everything that happens when he's drunk.

_A note about the debt:_

I'll go and add this in somewhere in the earlier chapters when I edit them. But the debt that Kaoru's dad owed Hiten Mitsurugi Incorporated was about three million dollars.

_Long Island__ Iced Tea :_

This is a mixed drink consisting of hard liquor such as Vodka, Rum, and other stuff. It's disgusting. If you talk to a bartender you'll find that the only people who order this are: a.) people who just turned 21 or b.) people who have no taste. Hehe

Special thanks to HitokiriSky, Ryoga, Dragon Master271, De Lazy Lime, Tenshi-no-Hana-chan, Mz. Amber Eyes, cyjj, nirada, Eternal-Senshi-S, plex, kirie-kun, Himura-chan, Coodle, Honeyz-Rinoa, Shannon, Katana Midori, Babo, Brittanie Love, Kiichi Dazai, saotome, Inu Limbo, Chibi Kiki, S3R3nity, Piper, erica6060, rkfan246, Reignashii, JouChan, Oni Tokage, kimi.the.water.spirit, nobody, Miaka, cutiechanXD3, KKfan4ever, rain angst, Kitsune Kenshin, BabyKaoru-Sama, bonessasan, flaming-amber, kkfan, ShiroiMatsu, tiaravball15, kenshin's-angel, and Fuu for reviewing! Thanks so much for your support. I really love reading your reviews. =)


	14. Family

**

* * *

Disclaimer : **Rurouni Kenshin is the property of Nobuhiro Watsuki, Shonen Jump, Viz, and Sony Productions. 

Thanks to Onitokage and Vic'chonn for their input about the organization of the chapter.

* * *

**Possession**

Donna8157

* * *

**Chapter 14 : Family**

It was early morning. Kenshin sat inside the limousine as he looked out the window towards the entrance of the hospital. Kaoru was to be released today after one night of staying there. His purple eyes didn't seem to focus on anything in particular. It was then that he saw her walking towards the car. She was wearing the black suit that Misao had brought for her. Kenshin's line of vision followed her as she walked towards the limo and got in.

"Thank you for coming to get me, sir." Kenshin's eyes glanced at her briefly before looking towards the window again. He noticed the many white bandages that had covered her body and his stomach cringed with guilt. He was the one that caused them.

"Are you okay?" he asked as she sat down next to him.

"Umm . .yes, sir." Kaoru nervously looked at him in the corner of her eyes.

"That's good." He closed his eyes as the driver started the engine. As he drifted into his thoughts, his mind wandered to that day that he had pushed her through the glass door. He unconsciously clenched his pale fingers as he remembered all the blood that surrounded Kaoru. All that blood. It was just like . . just like that night.

Kenshin unconsciously clenched his fists at the image of the blood. He had been so lost in his thoughts and memories of the past that he didn't realize that they were already back at the Seijuro estate.

"We're home, sir," the driver said as he looked up in the rearview mirror.

Kenshin blinked as he looked outside and saw he was at the front door. Kaoru got out first to go around the car so that she could open the door for the young man, but she found that Kenshin had already gotten out and was making his way to the door. This was probably his wordless consideration for her. With a vague smile playing about her lips, she followed him into the house.

When Kaoru went back inside her bedroom, the first thing she did was to go over to the telephone. She picked up the receiver and started to dial a familiar set of numbers. Then she sat down on the edge of the bed as she waited for someone to pick up.

_"__Kyoto __Mental Hospital__, how may I direct your call?"_

"Hello. This is Kamiya Kaoru," the girl said as she twined her fingers around her hair.

"_Oh, Kaoru-san! It's nice to hear from you again. How are you dear?"_

"I'm doing . . fine." Kaoru smiled ruefully as she reached over to the drawer and took out the picture of her family that she cherished so much. A family that was broken. She lightly traced the faint outline of her mother's face. "How . . how is my mother doing?"

_"Aaa . . . I'm sorry, but she hasn't gotten any better."_

"Oh . ." Kaoru murmured silently as she set down the picture frame on the bed. Water formed around her eyes and she quickly wiped it off with her forefinger as she got up and walked towards the window. "Umm . . thank you for taking care of her for me. I'm very grateful."

_"It's no problem, dear. I haven't seen you here in a long time. You should visit her soon."_

"I know." She tightened her fingers into a fist and her fingernails dug into her palm. She missed her mother. "I should visit often. I'm sorry."

_"There's no need to be sorry, dear."_

Kaoru looked out at the beautiful skyline outside her window and closed her eyes gently. _I'm sorry mother that I haven't come to visit you. I so very much want to see you again. _

_"Hello? Kaoru-san?_"

The voice on the other line broke the girl's thoughts. She quickly opened her eyes. "Aa . . well, I have to go. Thank you for talking to me."

_"It was nice hearing from you too, dear. Take care of yourself."_

"You, too," Kaoru said wistfully as she ended the call. She walked in almost a trance-like state as she set down the receiver again. Tears seemed to cloud both her eyes and her mind. Her mother had not gotten any better and it seemed that she never would return to the woman Kaoru had known in the past. She quickly brushed the few tears that had fallen from her eyes and took a deep breath to clear her mind.

Kaoru started walking towards the bathroom when she noticed Kenshin standing by her door.

Her eyes widened in shock as her breath stilled. When had he gotten there? How long had he been standing there? She watched him walk over to her bed and pick up the silver frame containing the picture of her family.

As Kenshin looked at the frame, the first thing he noticed was Kaoru's smile. A genuine smile that seemed to light up her entire face. _Beautiful,_ he thought. But the smile wasn't directed towards him. It was just a picture. He then looked over at the two people standing next to her and saw that it must have been her parents. The three of them seemed so happy and the feeling of love exuded from the paper-thin picture.

He set down the picture with an expressionless face and found that his eyes continued to look at the three people in the frame. Kaoru hurriedly walked over and put the silver frame back into the drawer. Kenshin watched her as she did so and turned back to walk out of the room.

"You can rest today."

Kaoru was in the process of shutting the drawer when she heard his words. She looked over at him with surprise in her face. "E -Excuse me, sir?"

"With your body like that you won't be able to wait on me and instead you'll only be a burden. I'll go to school by myself today . . so just rest," he said in a steady, low-pitched voice. He looked back at her and almost as an afterthought added, "But! It's only for today."

Kaoru's heart started to beat faster as she looked down on the ground. "Thank you."

Kenshin didn't reply to her and went back to his room. Kaoru stood there absent-mindedly in disbelief. _Rest? Because of the phone call just awhile ago? Did he hear it? _Of course Kenshin had said she would be a burden to him and put it in a negative way, but the young woman did not think of it that way. In her heart, there was an indescribable gratefulness towards the man.

She could see her mother again.

* * *

Kaoru walked through the familiar doors of Kyoto Mental Hospital. She took the elevator to the third floor and went over to the nurse's desk.

"Hello. I'm here to see my mother . ."

The elderly nurse at the desk looked up with her brown eyes. "Ara? Kaoru-san? It's so nice to see that you could make it today."

"I . .I had some time today," Kaoru said as she glanced over towards the hallway where her mother's room was located.

The nurse smiled as she nodded. "That's good . . but . ." The older woman looked over at the girl's face and squinted. "What happened to your face?"

The raven-haired girl's face reddened immediately as she looked down at her feet trying to hide the bandages and cuts. "I . . I fell down the stairs and got hurt a little." Kaoru then looked back up and smiled as she shrugged her shoulders. "I guess I was too careless."

The nurse looked at her suspiciously and then sighed and shook her head. "All right . . but you really should be more careful, dear. You could have gotten hurt a lot more seriously," she said with worry.

"I'm all right now. Don't worry. But umm . ." Kaoru looked down the hallway again. "Where is my mother?"

"Oh. Your mother is not in her room. She's downstairs in the garden catching up on some fresh air. Come follow me," she said as she walked out from behind the nurse's station towards the girl. "Your mother will be very happy to see you. I'm sure." A warm smile appeared on her face as she looked at Kaoru and beckoned the girl to follow her.

The elder nurse led her downstairs towards the middle vicinity of the hospital. Behind the glass panes, Kaoru could see her mom sitting the wheelchair exposed to the warm sunlight. Her eyes started to fill with tears as her heart yearned with longing. Her steps quickly became long strides as she neared the distance between herself and her mother.

"M-mom . ." she whispered brokenly underneath her breath as she opened the door to the garden. The elderly nurse who was standing near the door looked at the two of them with pity and decided that she would give them some privacy.

Tears that had been held within started to flow out from the girl's eyes as she walked towards her mother. After wiping her tears, Kaoru kneeled down on the ground and took her mother's hands within her own. She looked up into her mom's dull blue eyes and smiled softly.

"Did you wait for a long time, mom? I'm sorry . . I should visit you everyday." She got up from the concrete floor and hugged her mom tightly. As she felt her mom within her embrace, more tears began to flow out from her eyes. She had missed this so much. This feeling she had when she was with her mother . . but . . but . .

Kaoru let go of her mom slowly as she looked into the woman's eyes.

The blue hues of her orbs were vacant and seemed to just stare through the girl without any reaction. Without any sign of recognition.

Wetness began to gather around Kaoru's eyes as she looked at her. Where was the mother that she had once known? She smiled sadly as she gently touched her mother's cheek. "Mom . . didn't you miss me? . . I . . missed you a lot," she said brokenly. Kaoru's hand that held her mother's hand tightened ever so slightly as she shut her eyes.

_Why don't you talk to me, mom? Why don't you hold me like you used to? Why don't you smile for me? _

She opened her eyes as she looked at her mom. Kaoru just watched her . . waiting for some sort of response. Some sort of sign that would show her that her mother remembered her. That her mother would get better. But the older woman's eyes only seemed to stare through thin air and her lips remained tightly shut. There seemed to be no feeling at all left within her.

_Why . . why don't you remember me, mom? It's me . . your daughter. _

Kaoru continued to look at her mother and then realized that there was nothing she could do. Her heart ached as she finally released her grip on her mom's hands. The young woman took a deep breath and wiped off her remaining tears with the sleeve of her shirt as she walked behind her mom and grabbed the handles of the wheelchair. "Why don't we go for a walk since the weather is nice?" She put a smile on her face as she began pushing the wheelchair towards the promenade.

_It hurts, but at least I can be with you like this._

* * *

Soujiro rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he closed his locker. It had been a long night. Sanosuke, Kenshin, and he had stayed at the hospital until Kaoru had been released to a room. It was a relief to them when they found that her cuts were all surface wounds and luckily would heal after a week or so.

_RING_

The school bell sounded and the boy sighed as he started walking to his homeroom. It was then that he noticed Kenshin walking down the hall by himself. The young man knit his brows in worry. _What happened to Kamiya-san? She should be back today. Did something happen? _He strode over to his friend.

"Himura-san, why isn't Kamiya-san with you? Is she still hurt? Is she still in the hospital?" Soujiro questioned incessantly as he stared at Kenshin.

"I . . . I let her rest," he replied in a quiet voice as he avoided the other's eyes.

"I thought she was supposed to get out . . oh." Soujiro stopped his informal interrogation when he realized that his friend had answered him. He widened his eyes in disbelief. "Rest? Himura-san . . did you say you let Kamiya-san rest?" The boy seemed to repeat the word as if he didn't hear Kenshin correctly the first time.

Kenshin ignored Soujiro's question and instead found his mind wandering to the picture of Kaoru with her family. How her face was filled with a bright smile.

A smile that would never be shown towards him.

* * *

_It's getting dark_, Kaoru thought as she looked outside the window from within the confines of the small room of the hospital. She was sitting in a chair lightly holding on to her mother's hand as they were watching the television, an activity they had enjoyed back then before everything came apart. She looked sadly at her mom as she gently let go.

"Mom . . it's getting late. I have to go, but I'll come back and see you again." The girl smiled tenderly as she leaned over and kissed the frail woman on the cheek.

"I love you," she said softly and she found herself tearing up again. But she held the tears back as she stood back up and gave her mother a convincing smile. The mother neither replied nor looked at her as Kaoru left the room.

Once Kaoru had hailed a taxi and got inside, the tears that she had been holding in finally spilled forth.

* * *

_I'm sorry, Shinta._

A voice from the past penetrated Kenshin's thoughts as he sat back in the chair at Club 57 once again. He tightened his fingers around his bottle of beer as he tilted it towards his mouth and gulped the liquid down. He didn't understand it, but his thoughts seemed to consistently drift towards the Kamiya girl. He furrowed his brows as he tried to push those thoughts about her from his head.

Since Kaoru had appeared in his life, images and voices from the past that he had for so long suppressed and buried in the deep unconscious of his mind seemed to sprout back up. The lies and . . and the blood. His face grew dark as he narrowed his eyes frighteningly as he remembered a hazy image of a woman with strawberry blonde hair and lavender eyes.

The one woman that he thought he could trust. The one woman that he loved. The one woman that he had called mother had deceived both him and his father. She had done something unforgivable. If one's own mother could deceive her own child, then not much could be said about the other girl either. A smirk tinged with mockery and an even deeper sadness played on his lips.

Could Kaoru be any different?

Taking one last gulp of his beer, Kenshin drearily pushed himself out of his chair and walked to the center of the dance floor. He started to dance wildly as if he wanted to forget the thoughts that were controlling his mind. But in the end, only the image of Kaoru seemed to emblaze itself into his head.

* * *

_DING, DING_

The clock hanging on the wall struck twelve midnight. Kaoru who had turned her head to look at the time sat there on her the corner of her bed with a tense expression donned on her visage. She turned her head back around and stared out the window. She couldn't fall asleep. It was late and Kenshin had not returned home yet. The feeling of uneasiness seemed to eat into her even more when she had found that the young man had gone out unaccompanied. Kaoru turned back around at the clock once more to check the time. Not even a minute had passed.

She berated herself for looking. Throughout the night, Kaoru had found herself unconsciously turning back to stare at the clock.

_Where is he?_, she wondered. Finally, she got out of bed when she decided that she couldn't sit around any longer. Kaoru walked towards the door and left the room after grabbing a heavy jacket. At that moment, she heard footsteps coming up the stairwell. She stopped in her tracks as she clutched her jacket closer to her chest. When she saw who it was a feeling of relief passed through her.

He had come back.

Kenshin was ambling up the staircase unsteadily with one of his hands grasping onto the bars of the staircase. His red hair was in a mess and the unmistakable stench of nicotine and alcohol oscillated around him. Disregarding it all, Kaoru went over to him.

"Stop right there!" Kenshin ordered as he saw her come closer. The girl widened her eyes as she froze in her tracks. "Don't come any closer to me." His eyes glared at her from behind his red hair while his head was slightly lowered. Kaoru felt a shiver run down her spine when she felt his sharp and cold eyes on her. The man continued to stare at her as he walked up the remaining steps. With a loud slam, he shut the door to his room.

Kaoru's blue eyes looked vacantly at his bedroom door.

_Is he .. okay?_

-

-

-

-

- To be continued

* * *

**Author's Notes** :

Hi! Please leave a review and tell me what you think and/or what can be improved upon. In the beginning, I had an entire thing written up about Kenshin's past in story format, but I ended up scrapping the entire thing because I found that it just seemed to take away from the focus of the chapter. In the end I just planned on giving a little more insight into his past and it will be fully revealed in good time. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. The next chapter should come out sooner.

Special thanks to HitokiriSky, Oni Tokage, Ryoga, De Lazy Lime, andy, Dreamer, erica6060, kirie-kun, Dragon Master271, nirada, cyjj, Himura-chan, Coodle, Tenshi-no-Hana-chan, Brittanie Love, super, cutie-chan-XD3, XxSilentxDreamerxX, NekoYokai, Ochanoko, Piper, star0704, InuLimbo, Chibi Kiki, Katana Midori, tiaravball15, Rkfan86, Spike-Faye, Baby Kaoru-sama, Kitsune Kenshin, Julie, Fuu, Eternal-Senshi-S, kimi.the.water.spirit, flaming-amber, Silver Goddess1, Mz. Amber Eyes, Paleah, Pan-chan13, kik-ting, Anonymous T, Miaka, nobody, KKfan4ever, rain angst, Sugar-Crazy-Fox, GothicBlacre, chibi frog, S3R3nity, rkfan246, ;) , MizzLee, Nigihayami Haruko, Kiichi Dazai, Melanie, Sword Heart, and moderndaybattousai for reviewing! Thanks so much for your support. =) ::hands out mini Soujiro gummies::


	15. A Smile

* * *

Disclaimer : Rurouni Kenshin is the property of Nobuhiro Watsuki, Shonen Jump, Viz, and Sony Productions.

* * *

**Possession**

Donna8157

* * *

**Chapter 15 : A Smile**

_BRRRING_

Kaoru turned over on her side to turn off her alarm. She steadily got up as she made her way to the bathroom. The young woman wasn't able to get much sleep the other night because she had had too many thoughts running in her mind. As she reached the sink, she splashed some cold water on her face to wash away the sleep in her eyes and then took a shower. She winced when she felt some of the steaming droplets touch her wounds.

After she finished, she went over to the medicine cabinet and took out the ointment. Carefully she began applying the medicine to her wounds. As she was treating her scars, she looked up at the mirror. Her blue eyes seemed to grow hazy as she saw all the cuts and bruises on her entire body. They were scars that stuck to her ever since she started her new life. It almost seemed as if they were mocking her. Kaoru stared at herself absent-mindedly for a long time before knocking herself out of her thoughts.

_Be strong_, she chanted to herself as she put the ointment back on the counter.

Kaoru hurried out of the bathroom to escape the reflection of herself in the mirror and went to the closet. As she opened the door to pick out a suit to wear for the day, her eyes grew wide. She stood there in daze as she lightly reached out and touched the clothes that were hanging inside the closet.

_CLICK_

Kaoru turned her head around in shock when she heard someone enter her room. Kenshin walked into the room with an expressionless face. He looked at the clothes that the girl was touching.

"Put it on. You'll go to school as a Three Willows High School student starting today," Kenshin said curtly as he turned back to go to his room.

Kaoru stood there confused, she wasn't sure if she had heard him correctly. _A . . a high school student? _The young woman came back to her senses and carefully took out the uniform. She lightly traced her fingers on the lines of the jacket of the uniform. Her vision began to become cloudy as her eyes became watery.

_Does that mean . . . I get to go to school again?_

* * *

_KNOCK, KNOCK_

"Come in," Kenshin said as he slid one arm through the white collared shirt. When he heard the door click, he looked over at the person who had come inside the room. It was Kaoru, but she was wearing the school uniform instead of the business suits that she would usually be forced to wear. The knee-length black pleated skirt and the white-collared short-sleeved shirt looked surprisingly good on her. He quickly too his eyes off of her when he realized he had been staring and instead shifted his concentration on finishing dressing himself.

Kaoru watched Kenshin as he started buttoning his shirt and a ghost of a smile flitted by her face. She went towards him with her face blushing.

"Thank you, sir." She twined her fingers in front of her when she thanked him.

Kenshin heard her say her gratitude and stiffened. "Don't be," he answered shortly as he turned around to put on his necktie and coat.

"I . . I . ." Kaoru looked up at him as he was putting on his jacket.

Kenshin interrupted her when he heard her stutter and glanced at her with his lavender eyes. "And . . there's no need for you to follow me around when we're at school."

The girl's mouth was half-open in confusion. "Ano . . what do . ."

"Just do what I said," Kenshin answered shortly as he took a look over of himself in the mirror before walking out the room. Kaoru still stood there as she saw him leave. For the second time that day, she was awestruck by what he had said.

* * *

"Starting today, Kamiya Kaoru will be a part of our class," the teacher announced as he motioned towards Kaoru who was standing in front of the class. The young woman bowed slightly towards the other students as a way of introducing herself. "Well, I'm sure all of you know her even though she didn't come to school as a student in the beginning, but I hope you all will help her out."

The teacher then turned towards the girl. "All right, Kamiya-san, why don't you go sit next to Himura-san in the back of the room?" he suggested.

Kaoru nodded her response as she bowed her head towards the teacher. She then started heading towards her seat.

As she walked by, she heard students whispering and felt their eyes looking at her with suspicion.

_"Isn't that the girl that follows Himura around all the time?"_

_"She's a student now?"_

Kaoru ignored their comments as she arrived at the back of the room and sat down in the seat next to Kenshin. It was awkward. She couldn't believe that she was sitting as a student and not standing behind him throughout the entire class like she had been doing for so long. Kaoru turned her head around to catch a glimpse of the red-haired man.

His figure overlapped the blue sky outside the window. The bright sunlight highlighted his short crimson red hair and was contrasted against his white skin. Kenshin's eyes were softly closed and his apricot colored lips were firmly set as he listened to the music coming out from his headphones. For some reason, he looked different than he did the other times she had seen him. As Kaoru was looking at Kenshin, the students in the class found their attention being focused on her. Different from the usual stiff face she had before, the way she was smiling faintly was enough to pull the eyes of the students towards her.

* * *

" . . and that will end our discussion of the Mongol Empire. Let's have our break now class," the teacher said as he adjusted his glasses and closed the history book he held in his hands. The old man gathered his things as he left the classroom.

Seeing that it was break time, Kenshin took off his headphones and put them in his pocket as he slowly got up. He then started walking towards the door. As usual, Kaoru got up from out of her seat and started to follow him.

Kenshin turned around when he recognized her footsteps behind him. "Don't follow me," he ordered in a low tone. The young woman's body stiffened and then remembered what he had said that morning. She lowered her head towards the ground. Kenshin tightened his lips into a firm line as he walked out of the classroom. As she heard the door close, she hesitated on whether or not to follow him.

"Hey . ."

Kaoru looked around when she heard someone call out to her with a perplexed expression on her face. She saw that it was a tall boy with black hair and brown eyes.

The male student smiled as he looked at her. "Hi. I'm Higashiyama Ryuzaburo. I welcome you to our class."

"Ah . . yes. Thank you, sir," she replied. Ryuzaburo shook his head when he heard her talk with such formalities.

"That's uncomfortable to hear. Just talk normally." The boy's smile faltered as his tone of voice grew more serious. "I . . I should have thanked you earlier . ."

Kaoru furrowed her brows as she tried to think of what he was referring to, but could not come up with an answer.

"That day, if it weren't for you . . I might have been unable to meet you like this," he said in a low, monotone voice.

Kaoru squinted her eyes as she studied his face and then suddenly remembered. It was the young man that Kenshin had beaten up a week or so ago at school. She almost didn't recognize him without all the scars and bruises.

"I didn't have a chance to say thank you last time so I'm telling you now . . thanks." His words became a bit slurred as he laughed uneasily with embarrassment and scratched his head.

Kaoru's face reddened as she heard him thank her like that. "No . . I just . ."

Ryuzaburo looked up shocked at the unexpected reaction she had towards him. In the beginning, he had thought it would be hard to talk to her because she had always had such a stiff, expressionless face. But after talking to her, he realized just how wrong he was.

"Let's be good friends," he declared as he stuck out his hand in a friendly manner and smiled.

"All . . all right," Kaoru stuttered and her face grew redder. Then another student came towards the two of them and started to introduce herself. Kaoru noticed that she had dark green hair with reddish-brown eyes.

"I'm Shura. I wanted to talk to you before, but I couldn't. I'm happy that I can now though. I'm glad that you're in our class." She also held out her hand for her to shake.

"Thanks." Kaoru smiled brightly as she felt warmed by all the nice greetings. Ryuzaburo and Shura saw her smile and stared at her.

When Kaoru realized that they were looking at her for a long time, she glanced back and forth between the both of them wondering if she had done something wrong. "What . . what . .why are you staring at me like that?"

"No. I was just thinking how pretty you looked when you smile," Ryuzaburo answered with an absent-minded face.

"It's the first time we saw you smiling . ." Shura injected.

". . . . ." Kaoru lowered her head in embarrassment and scratched the back of her head awkwardly. A couple of other students started to gather around her and introduce themselves. In the beginning, the students held a slight feeling of animosity towards Kaoru because she was always with Kenshin, but as they started to talk to her and got to know her better that feeling quickly dissipated and was replaced with a sense of friendship.

As Kaoru looked around her and listened to the animated conversations the other students were having, a feeling of happiness surged in her heart. It was almost as if she had gone back to her old life.

* * *

Kenshin looked down at his watch as he took a gulp of water. The break was almost over. He started walking towards class when he stopped himself at the front of the door. Through the thick window pane of the door, he could see Kaoru smiling when she was surrounded by the other students.

A bright smile that had never been shown to him.

The bright smile that he thought could only be seen through a picture was now being shown to other people.

Kenshin grit his jaw as he roughly turned around and walked away.

* * *

Kaoru looked at the clock in the front of the classroom and saw that the break was almost over and Kenshin had not come back. She found herself looking at the door whenever she heard some other person walk inside the room, but it was never him. She knew that he had ordered her not to follow him around, but she decided that it would be okay to disregard what he said for right now. After all, class was about to start soon.

"Ano . . excuse me, but I'm going to find Himura-san," she said as she broke away from the crowd that had gathered around her.

Kaoru then left the classroom to search for him. It was then that she remembered the rooftop where Soujiro had taken her. Picking up her pace, she quickly made her way towards the stairwell and rushed up the steps. As she was running up the stairs, her head suddenly grew dizzy from the intense exercise. After all, she had just gotten out of the hospital the other day. Her eyes widened and her heart started pounding faster as she felt herself lose her balance. It was then that she felt someone wrap their arms around her waist as she was about to fall. Kaoru started breathing heavily and shut her eyes to calm herself while she was still being held.

"Thank you very much," she said between labored breaths.

When she felt as though she had completely gained control of herself once again, she tried to walk up the stairs again. But the stranger would not seem to let go of his hold on her.

"Ano . . please let go of me."

There was a harsh laugh from behind her and strength seemed to go into the arms that were around her waist. Kaoru winced from the sudden pressure. She then felt his hot breath tickle her ears.

"I warned you." Blue eyes widened when she immediately recognized the voice. "Did you forget already? You'll get hurt if you think I'm joking around. Remember that . . . doll." Kaoru's face paled when she heard Kanryuu's threat and she felt as though her nerves had become stiff. A chill ran down her back as he slowly took his hands away from her.

Kanryuu smiled in satisfaction when he saw her reaction. "Next time . . be more careful." He let out another malicious laugh as he shoved his hands into his pockets and strolled down the stairs.

Kaoru shuddered at his laugh. Even after his menacing laughter disappeared, she didn't seem to show much movement. Finally, gaining a hold of her frayed nerves, the young woman slowly turned her body around and started to walk up the remaining steps towards the roof. As she opened the door, she saw Kenshin lying on the floor with his arms behind his head and listening to the music that was coming out of his headphones.

The blue-eyed woman inhaled a deep breath of fresh air as she walked towards him. She felt a sense of calmness and relief when she found him.

When Kaoru was next to him, she bent down on one knee and looked at his visage. Unlike the peaceful look he had donned earlier that day, he now looked a bit . . sad. For a second, Kaoru didn't think of waking him. But then the breeze picked up and a shiver passed through her body. Kenshin could get sick if he were to stay like this out here.

"You'll catch a cold like this, sir."

There was no reaction from him as she talked to him. The girl sighed as she took off her coat and placed it gently on top of him making sure not to wake him up. At that moment, Kenshin opened his purple orbs and looked at her. She quickly turned away from him when she saw that he was looking at her so intently with his eyes. It almost felt as though they were piercing her. Even though she avoided his gaze, she could still feel him looking at her. Her heart began to beat faster as an indescribable nervous feeling developed at the pit of her stomach.

Kenshin continued to watch her and got up when he saw her turn her head away from him. For some reason, it hurt when she did that. He took the coat that was on top of him and handed it back to her. "I don't need it."

Kaoru looked back at him and slowly reached for the jacket. As she did, Kenshin found himself staring fixedly at her face . . at her lips. Those lips that had once bore such a bright smile in the classroom amongst the other classmates. As he watched her, a feeling of sadness enveloped him. _You probably wouldn't want to show me that smile of yours, _he thought.

_CLANG_

The door opened with a large sound and Kenshin and Kaoru quickly turned towards that direction.

"Kamiya-san!"

"Hey jou-chan!"

Apparently, Soujiro and Sanosuke were on their break and when they had heard that Kaoru was on the rooftop, they wanted to see if she was okay after the accident from the other day.

"Hello," she replied as she looked at the two of them surround her. Kaoru looked over at Sanosuke and remembered that his foot had been injured by the piece of glass the other day. She knit her brows in worry. "Is your foot okay now, sir?" She looked down at his foot.

"Of course, jou-chan." He paused as he looked her up and down with one of his hands on his chin. "Wow. You look good in that uniform," Sanosuke complimented with a flirtatious grin. Kaoru instantly felt heat rise up in her cheeks.

"Umm . . thank you, sir."

Soujiro smiled. "Are you feeling better, Kamiya-san?" he asked with his voice a bit tinged with worry.

Kaoru nodded. "Yes. I'm fine now, sir."

"Maa maa . . didn't I tell you to stop calling me sir, Kamiya-san? We're both students now," Soujiro teased with a bright smile.

"But . ." Kaoru glanced at Kenshin sideways feeling a bit flustered.

Kenshin grimaced when he felt her nervous gaze on him and stood up. "I have to be going." He ignored her as she was about to say something and left. An awkward silence seemed to shroud the three of them at Kenshin's cold words.

Kaoru watched him as he walked away from her and shut the heavy metal door. She slowly pushed herself up from the floor and dusted off her skirt as she was about to follow him back to the classroom. She turned towards Soujiro and Sanosuke and looked apologetically to them before leaving. "I'll be going now als . ."

She wasn't able to finish her sentence for Sanosuke interrupted her. "We're not letting you go now, jou-chan. Not until you fix something." He crossed his arms in front of his chest as he looked at her seriously.

Kaoru widened her eyes in surprise. _Fix something? _She looked at him and saw that he was upset and then she turned over to look at Soujiro. He was, of course, smiling.

Sanosuke laughed as he saw the confused expression on her face. "C'mon jou-chan. Lighten up! We need to fix your problem of saying 'sir' all the time. We're all students anyway." He linked arms with her and gave her a cocky smile.

Soujiro nodded. "You promised me too, Kamiya-san." He looked intently at her as he waited for a response.

A feeling of uneasiness came over her as she felt their eyes on her. "I'm in the habit of it . . I'll fix it slowl . . ." Kaoru looked up and noticed them narrow their eyes at her. She sighed as she shook her head. _Mou! These guys . ._, she thought helplessly as she opened her mouth.

"Soujiro-san," Kaoru whispered. Her face turned red when she noticed the wide grin plastered on Soujiro's face. The young man then laughed and put his arms around her shoulder.

Sanosuke watched Kaoru and 'hmphed' in dissatisfaction. "What? How come you can say Soujiro's name but not mine? Che. I see how it is, jou-chan."

"Sanosuke-san," she said in a quiet voice. A grin of victory appeared on Sano's face and he slowly looked at her.

"Just call me Sano and don't add –san at the end of it. It just doesn't sound right." His lips turned up into a smile as he looked at her. He liked hearing his name come out from her lips. "All right, since we all feel good, let's go to the cafeteria and pig out."

Soujiro's smile faltered as he let go of his hold of Kaoru and looked at his friend. "Sagara-san," he stated calmly. "You always pig out."

"Oi Soujiro. Let's keep this in a happy mood." He walked over to the young woman and gently placed an arm over her shoulder. "You hungry, jou-chan? I'll treat you to lunch this time," he said with a softness playing in his brown orbs. He patted his "wallet" that was in his pocket when he realized that he had forgotten it at home. A perturbed frown appeared on his face, but then he quickly replaced it with a mischievous smile.

He looked over at Soujiro with his puppy dog eyes.

The other boy stepped back, disturbed.

"Can I borrow some money, Soujiro?" he asked.

The blue-eyed young man narrowed his eyes when he realized that again he had to lend money to the rooster head, but he had not the heart to tell him no. After all, he didn't want to see those puppy dog eyes on his face. It might give him nightmares. He shook his head to get the evil image out.

"Fine, Sagara-san," he said with a helpless sigh as he reached into his back pocket and forked out some cash from his wallet.

* * *

It was late at night when Kaoru had finished all her duties and went back to her room.

With a feeling of eagerness, Kaoru flipped through the pages of her Calculus textbook. It had been so long since she had had a homework assignment. It was odd because most other people would dread the fact that they had schoolwork to do, but Kaoru found it as a type of relief. As if things were going to be normal once more.

As she looked at the logarithm and derivative problems, her brows seemed to knit together with frustration. She had missed a lot and didn't know where to start.

_CLICK_

Kaoru turned around in her chair at the desk and saw Kenshin come inside. Her eyes widened and she quickly got up out of the chair and bowed.

"Is there something I can help you with, sir?" she asked.

"Here," he said as he took out a notebook from behind him. "Use this."

The girl nodded and took the book from out of his hands. "Thank you . . sir," she whispered. She wasn't sure what else she would say to him. He didn't respond and turned around to leave the room. When she heard him close the door behind her, she sat down and flipped through the loose leaf notebook.

It was all of Kenshin's Calculus notes.

She was surprised at how neat his handwriting actually was. As Kaoru studied the notes, she found that they were easy to understand and pretty soon she was able to solve some of the homework problems. A small, almost unnoticeable smile appeared on her face as she did her work.

* * *

"Kaoru-san!!"

As Kaoru stepped into the classroom, Ryuzaburo called out to her with his hands waving frantically in the air. It had only been a few days since she had started attending the school as a student, but she had quickly become good friends with him.

Ryuzaburo ran up to her when he found that he had caught her attention. "Do you know that there's a sports and arts camp next week?"

"Sports and arts camp?" she repeated unsure of what he was saying.

"You didn't know? Usually during this time, the seniors go camping for three days and two nights. There are all kinds of events. You can see my artwork too, Kaoru-san. Maybe you can even model for me!" he added in excitement as he looked at her with bright eyes. But when he saw how quiet she was, his mood deflated.

_Himura-san_, he reminded himself as he looked down on the ground.

Shura walked over to the both of them and sighed when she heard their conversation. "Do you think Himura will want to go on that trip? He has never attended any school activities, but is there a possibility that he will go?" She looked at Kaoru with a worried face. In those past few days, Shura had also formed a bond of friendship with the new girl.

Kaoru remained quiet for she didn't want to disappoint her friends and tell them that she couldn't go.

Shura sighed as she shook her head sadly. "It would be great if you could come, Kaoru. It's our last year of high school and when we go camping, the teachers usually don't bother the students. It's one of the main things we look forward to this year. And it's really a lot of fun." The green-haired woman looked over at Kaoru with pity when she realized what her answer was going to be.

Kaoru smiled. "It's okay. You can just tell me about it when you come back."

Right then, Kenshin walked into the classroom. Seeing the other man come inside, Ryuzaburo and Shura gave a nod and smile towards the blue-eyed young woman and they went back to their seats. Kenshin plopped down in his chair as he dropped his book bag next to his desk and put on his headphones. He turned his head towards the window and looked outside. Through the glass of the window, he could see a faint reflection of Kaoru looking at him. As Kenshin was looking through the window, he didn't even realize that there was a soft smile playing about his lips.

-

-

-

-

- To be continued

* * *

**Author's Notes : **

Hi! Please leave a review! Thanks very much!! =D I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. I was able to finish it up much sooner now. Hehe. Here are a few notes about the chapter:

_Higashiyama Ryuzaburo_

He appeared in the later episodes of Rurouni Kenshin. He was the artist that wanted to find "beauty" and found "beauty" in Kaoru. He fell in love with her in the episode and used all types of antics to try to hit Kenshin.

_Shura_

The pirate captain that fell in love with Kenshin right before the Kyoto Arc. She had green hair and burnt ember-colored eyes. However, she will not fall in love with Kenshin in this fic. Keke.

Also, if you have time check out deleria's website: It has a variety of fanfics, fanart, manga scans, and screenshots of various anime. =) If you have a work you would like to submit to her, you can email her. It's a great site and I have my fanfics posted up there also.

Special thanks to Vic'chonn, Kokuei, sonia, Kirie-kun, Brittanie Love, Himura-chan, super, Katana Midori, InuLimbo, Kiichi Dazai, stranger, Ochanoko, cutie-chan-XD3, Jouchan, Eternal-Senshi-S, cyjj, tintin-chan, Piper, Oni Tokage, Sugar-Crazy-Fox, Naiyuki, Kitsune Kenshin, Just aboy, Chibi Kiki, Coodle, Minsada, rain angst, canitan-queen, HitokiriSky, nobody, Ryoga, OroMou, Falconess106, Spike-Faye, saotome, KKfan4ever, anna, kithana, and chibi frog for reviewing! Thanks so much =D


	16. Camp

**

* * *

Disclaimer : 

**Rurouni Kenshin is the property of Nobuhiro Watsuki, Shonen Jump, Viz, and Sony Productions.

* * *

****

**Possession**

Donna8157

* * *

**Chapter 16 : Camp**

"Hiko, have you heard what your idiot son has done?" Mrs. Seijuro berated with her gray eyes flashing dangerously. The woman was pacing back and forth in Hiko's study with fumes literally coming out from her ears.

Hiko looked up from his the pile of bills and other paperwork. He adjusted his glasses with his forefinger as he narrowed his eyes. "What now? What has my baka deshi done?"

Claire Seijuro marched towards his desk and slammed down the papers in her hand on top of her husband's mahogany desk.

"This!" she spat out as she shoved a couple of papers that Kenshin had filled out towards Hiko. Those were the papers that officially made Kaoru a student at Three Willows College Preparatory. Hiko widened his eyes as he reached out for the papers and slowly read through them.

_He's changing_, he thought. A small smile appeared on his face as he set the papers down on his desk. His instinct had told him that this girl could possibly help Kenshin get over his past and he was happily pleased that the boy seemed to open up little by little.

Meanwhile, the wife stood there with her arms crossed in front of his desk as she waited for her husband's response. "Well?" She impatiently tapped her foot on the carpeted floor.

"Well, what?" Hiko asked. "So Kamiya-san's a student now. What's wrong with that?" He gazed up at his wife with his brown eyes.

"Well," Claire sputtered as outrage began to fill her petite body. "Well, she sold herself to him!" She frantically waved her arms as she stomped around the room once more. "That little whore is probably manipulating him! He's so stupid!"

Hiko's brown eyes flickered with flames of intolerance. "Claire! That's enough! I don't have time for your little temper tantrums!" Even though he was not Kenshin's biological father, he still felt protective of him and over the years had grown to love him. Although that was something he would never openly admit.

The wife stopped in her steps as she looked up at her husband. A biting anger filled her senses as she jerked her head away from his direction and walked out the door, making sure to slam it as hard as possible. When she left the room, Hiko sighed and massaged his temples. He wished he had never gotten married.

* * *

_Three Willows College Preparatory S__chool_

"Oi Soujiro!!" Sanosuke called out as he waved his hand in the air trying to catch his friend's attention.

Soujiro looked up from the crowds of people around him on the field and found a familiar patch of spiky-hair from afar. He grinned and picked up his bags as he maneuvered around the other students to walk towards the aforementioned person. "Sagara-san," he started as they neared one another, "when did you get here?"

Sanosuke wiped some sweat off of his brow as he sighed. "I've been here about twenty minutes already. The buses are already lined up." He motioned towards the row of tour buses parked next to the field. Soujiro nodded as he looked towards the parking lot. Today was the day that the seniors were going to go to the Sports and Arts camp and everyone was dressed in casual clothing. It was a big event and everyone around them seemed to be in the highest of spirits. Laughter and talking seemed to fill the wide field.

"Is . . umm . . Kenshin coming?" Sano asked as he readjusted the duffel bag that he had over his shoulders.

The blue-eyed young man shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure if Himura-san is coming or not. It never seemed to be a good time to ask him."

"Che," the spiky-haired man said under his breath as he kicked the grass beneath his feet. "It's his last year. He should have some fun. Or at least not deprive jou-chan of some fun."

Soujiro looked suspiciously at Sanosuke. It almost seemed as if he was really serious about her. "Well . . maybe they'll come. Let's look around, Sagara-san."

The two of them searched wandered around the area searching for them, but alas they were not there.

"OKAY STUDENTS! LINE UP TO GET ON YOUR ASSIGNED BUSES!" the gym teacher yelled out through a megaphone. Everyone around Soujiro and Sanosuke quickly gathered their belongings and went on to their respective buses. Once it seemed that most of the people had gotten on the bus, Sano and Soujiro too started to make their way to the parking lot.

"I guess Himura-san decided not to come, " Soujiro sighed.

At that moment, a large black limo pulled up in the parking lot. The seniors in the buses pressed their faces against the windows trying to get a look at who was in there.

It was Kenshin and Kaoru.

As the two of them got out of the limo, the students and faculty widened their eyes in surprise. Himura Kenshin had never attended any school activities ever in his high school career. Soujiro saw the both of them and his bright blue eyes lit up and he quickly made his way over to them.

"Himura-san!! Kamiya-san!! You came after all," the boy said with a grin.

"Yeah, it's good to see that you could come, Kenshin." Sanosuke strode up next to them with a half-smile on his face. His relationship with the red-haired man had become a bit rugged since that incident in his apartment. But he shrugged off those feelings of apprehension as he made it a point to himself to enjoy the trip.

Kenshin nodded as he saw the both of them come towards him.

"Hello, sir," Kaoru said as she bowed her head down towards Sanosuke and Soujiro.

"Hello Kamiya-san," Soujiro said as he returned the bow.

"Hey there jou-chan! It's nice to see that you came!" Sano exclaimed. It was then that he realized what the two of them were wearing and a small chuckle erupted from his throat. Kaoru looked up at him awkwardly.

The spiky-haired man pointed at the attire they were wearing. "Are you guys going to some party or something? What is up with the suits? I mean . . I can see why Kenshin would wear those suits all the time . . but jou-chan?" Kenshin was wearing a black suit and Kaoru was wearing a dark gray pants suit with low heeled shoes. Clothes that were definitely not suitable for camping.

The young woman looked down at the clothes she was wearing and she laughed at herself inaudibly. _Really, _she thought, _we're going camping and I'm wearing this Versace suit. _

"Well, we'll see you there," Sano chimed with a wave as he pushed Soujiro towards the bus. The two of them watched as the other two left.

"Kaoru-san!!"

"Kaoru!"

Kaoru looked up when she heard tapping on the windows of the bus. It was Ryuzaburo and Shura. She waved and smiled at them. Kenshin seemed to ignore everyone and just walked onto the bus. The blue-eyed woman followed him with bags in hand. She still couldn't believe that he had actually consented on going on this trip. It was rather sudden when he announced to her that morning that she was to pack up her things and get ready to go.

When Kenshin got onto the bus, the once noisy atmosphere became incredibly quiet. The red-haired man ignored their reactions and headed towards the seat in the back. He sat by the window and closed his eyes as he crossed his arms. As Kaoru got onto the bus, she felt how stiff the mood had become and carefully moved towards the back to sit next to Kenshin. She could literally feel the hatred that pulsed from all directions towards the young man. The young woman looked over at the other to see his reaction, but Kenshin remained expressionless.

The students who had once thought that the bus ride to the camp grounds would be lively suddenly felt agonized when they saw that Kenshin was going to be on the bus. It seemed as if the bus ride was going to be quiet from then onwards.

_Tap tap_

Kaoru turned to the side when she felt someone tapping on her shoulder. Ryuzaburo and Shura were sitting across from her and smiled while waving. The blue-eyed girl gave them a half-hearted smile before turning back and closing her eyes. The next moment, the engines of the bus started roaring and the driver started to close the door.

"WAIT!" a familiar voice called out. Two people quickly got onto the bus and seemed to be a bit short of breath from running.

"Thank you." The two self-invited guests looked around the bus and went towards Kaoru when they saw her in the back. She lifted her head and opened her eyes when she felt someone stand in front of her.

Kaoru widened her eyes. "H-how?" She looked back and forth between Sanosuke and Soujiro. Somehow they too got on the bus, even though they weren't assigned to it.

Sanosuke grinned heartily as he and Soujiro decided to take the empty seat right in front of Kenshin and Kaoru. "We asked someone to change buses with us. They seemed to be delighted with the idea and agreed." The tall man then looked around the bus and noticed just how quiet it was, almost to a suffocating degree. He surmised that it was probably because Kenshin had gotten on that bus also. He thought back to the people that had exchanged seats with them. "I can see why they were excited by the idea of changing buses with us now."

Soujiro then turned around to face the people behind him. He noticed that Kenshin had his eyes closed. "Is Himura-san sleeping? How can he fall asleep during such an exciting time?" He shook his head sadly.

"Well, this is boring! We're supposed to be on a trip," Sano exclaimed with a heave. "I'm just gonna have to fix it!" The tall man got up from his seat and began walking to the front of the charter bus. He picked up the microphone and tapped it to see whether or not it was turned on.

"Testing . .testing. One, two, three." The microphone seemed to be loud enough. Sano grinned as he looked at everyone. "Hello. The reason that this devilishly handsome self-invited passenger is on this bus is to help you, the people on this bus, escape from this cold ambience. Until we get to the camp grounds, I'm willing to sacrifice myself to make you guys enjoy the bus ride." He then pointed to various people on the bus and narrowed his eyes playfully. "And . . if any of you oppose my being up here or find it uninteresting, you girls can come up here and do a strip show for all of us." He winked at some of the girls on the bus. They started blushing.

Everyone seemed to remain quiet and just watched him.

"Okay! Everyone seems to be in favor of me staying up here so I'll begin now. For our first show, we will have a famous dance instructor come up and do a dance routine!" Sanosuke gestured towards the back and winked at Soujiro.

The blue-eyed man widened his eyes in disbelief as his mouth dropped open. Sano widened his eyes a bit, trying to plead with the boy nonverbally. Still in shock, Soujiro pointed to himself asking whether or not it was him who the man was referring to. The spiky-haired man nodded his head rapidly with a grin on his face as he again motioned for the other step up.

Soujiro narrowed his eyes coldly as he stared at his so-called friend and pushed himself up from the cloth chair. As he walked towards the other, he mouthed the words, "I'll get you back for this, Sagara-san."

A small sweat drop appeared on Sanosuke's forehead and he smiled uneasily.

"All right! Let's give a round of applause for Seta Soujiro!" Sanosuke clapped as he then turned on some music on the bus's radio and signaled to the other to start dancing.

Soujiro grit his teeth together as he stood there in the front. This had to be the most embarrassing situation he had ever been in and the worst thing of all was the small, hard fact that he just could _not_ dance. He then felt Sanosuke jab him in the shoulder, telling him to start. Soujiro sighed helplessly and took a deep breath.

_tap tap_

The boy lifted his pant leg and tapped one of his feet on the floor and then switched to the other, making sure to keep in rhythm with the music. The dance looked rather odd and seemed more like the boy was hopping back and forth on either foot. Sano watched and had to hide the eruption of laughter that was threatening to burst from his mouth with great difficulty. Once the music was over, everyone clapped surprisingly. The students who were near Kenshin clapped with less gusto as they looked over at the red-haired man making sure not to aggravate him. And Sano motioned for Soujiro to go back to his seat.

"Okay! You have seen the famous rabbit dance." Soujiro stopped in mid-stride to turn back at Sanosuke and glare at him. The brown-haired man ignored him as he continued to go on. 

"Hmm . ." he thought in contemplation as he tapped his finger on his bottom chin. "Who should go next?" His grin widened mischievously as he looked towards the back. "You know . .I've always wanted to hear this person sing. I don't know how everyone else feels about it." Sanosuke slurred the end of his words and fixed his cinnamon eyes on Kaoru. Everyone else's gaze seemed to follow Sano's and turned to girl.

Blue eyes widened when she realized what he had just signed her up to do. Ryuzaburo grinned when he saw Kaoru's reaction.

"Kamiya Kaoru!" Ryuzaburo shouted when he understood where Sanosuke was going with it.

Ryuzaburo and Shura clapped their hands wildly when and shouted for her to go up and sing. Everyone on the bus, except for Kenshin, seemed to be rooting for her to do it. Kaoru felt heat rise up in her cheeks as she looked at Sanosuke, perplexed.

Soujiro smiled broadly as he urged the girl to go. "Go on, Kamiya-san. Whatever you do will be ten times better than my dancing."

Sanosuke cocked a smile as he gestured for Kaoru to walk to the front. "I never said who, but I see everyone wants to hear jou-chan sing. Hurry up here . . we don't want to keep the audience waiting." Feeling everyone's eyes on her, Kaoru sucked in her breath and walked to the front. There was no getting out of it.

"All right. What is the title of your song?" the man asked as he handed her the microphone.

"Ano . . it's . . eto . . 'Scarlet' by Sawachika Hirosuke."

Kaoru took the microphone steadily into her slightly trembling hands and took a deep breath as she closed her eyes.

_"Haruka na hoshizora ni yume wa mada miemasu ka?_

_osanai ano hi yori azayaka desu ka? __  
  
mune ni afurete tsunoru omoi_

_nemuri wasurete jounetsu no iro_

_tatoe tookute mo kitto tadoritsukeru tsuyoku shinjite'ta_

_ano hi no watashi ga ima mo kokoro de nemutte-iru." _

Her voice was a bit shaky at first, but it gradually grew smoother as the song went on. Although she did not hit all the notes and her voice broke at times, everyone was still captivated by the sweet sound that came out of her mouth. The emotion that burst through that song was so very palpable to the other students.

Kenshin slightly opened his eyes when he heard Kaoru's voice. He looked up and saw her standing there singing with her eyes closed and a deep crimson blush staining her face. As he sat there, her sweet voice seemed to submerge into his mind.

* * *

Three hours later the bus finally arrived at the campsite. The students quickly got off the bus and rushed to their assigned cabins to put away their things. Afterwards, they started getting ready for lunch. Kenshin watched all of this with uninterested eyes. Why had he agreed to this in the first place? He sighed as he walked away with his hands in his pockets and went towards the woods.

Kaoru watched him as he walked towards the thicket of trees and shrubs. She was about to follow him when she felt Ryuzaburo tap her on the shoulder. She turned towards him and found him smiling.

"Kaoru-san, let me draw you," he asked. The young woman looked down and noticed the art supplies in one hand and the canvas tucked underneath his arm. "Please. For a friend."

The girl nodded almost unwillingly and the boy grabbed her hand and led her towards the woods.

As they started walking, Ryuzaburo looked over at her with excitement twinkling in his eyes. "I saw this small waterfall over there when I was exploring the area. It's really quite beautiful and I instantly thought of you. I'm sure you'll like it a lot."

Not knowing how to respond, Kaoru only nodded.

As she was led farther into the woods, they finally stopped at a small clearing. The place that Ryuzaburo had taken her looked like an unfrequented area and was hidden by trees and bushes. Because it was pretty far off from the campgrounds there were only sounds of water flowing and the occasional sound of birds chirping.

"How is it, Kaoru-san? Isn't it breath-taking?" he asked triumphantly as he let go of her hand and began to set up his art materials. He looked around with an "artist's eye" and motioned to the young woman to sit on the rock right in front of the waterfall. After he adjusted her hair, he began his work.

* * *

"Hey Kaoru!!" Shura shouted as she searched around the area for her friend. A minute ago, Kaoru had been standing near the cabin where Kenshin was, but now she could see neither of them. She sighed and asked another person. "Have you seen Kaoru?"

"Yeah, she went off with Ryuzaburo towards the woods. He said something about painting her," the other student replied as she pointed towards the direction they had gone.

"Thanks!" Shura said with a quick wave and ran off.

* * *

Kenshin pushed aside a few branches of the trees as he walked further into the woods. Then he heard the sound of rushing water. He decided that he would follow that sound. He soon came upon a large rock structure with a small waterfall. The scenery was absolutely priceless and the only thought that popped into his mind when he saw it was –

_What would Kaoru say if she saw this?_

He shook his head and tried to get those thoughts out of his head. He looked up at the rocky structure and thought about walking closer to get a better look.

"Turn a bit towards that way, Kaoru-san," a masculine voice stated.

Kenshin stopped in his steps as he quickly hid himself behind the tree. From the side of the tree, he saw two people on the other side of the area. One he recognized as the boy that he had beat up the other day and the other . .the other was Kaoru. His eyes seemed to drift towards her. The sun cast a brilliant shade of black on her hair and her face was turned towards the side. Her nose high and her lips firmly set. But what drew him in the most was her eyes. They seemed to radiate underneath the rays of the sun and burned an electric blue color. Those eyes captivated him even from afar.

_Stop it_, he berated himself. _She'll only hurt you._ He finally forced himself to turn around, but at that moment he heard someone scream.

"BEAR!!!"

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- To be continued

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**Author's Notes : **

Please review! Thanks! I hope you enjoyed the chapter =D

_1.) Seijuro Hiko and Claire:_

Yes, there is a reason why they're married. It will be revealed later in the story. I'm sure you guys are wondering why he married such a woman. Hehe. Or rather, why he ever got married at all.

_2.) "Scarlet" sung by Iwao Junko/composed by Sawachika Hirosuke_

English translation of the part that Kaoru sang:

_Can you still see your dreams in the distant, starry sky?_

_Are they more vivid than they were when you were little? _

_When one forgets to put the emotions that overflow in her heart_

_to rest, they burn the color of passion. _

_I used to believe without a doubt that I could reach my dreams, no matter how far off they were._

_But that me from long ago now sleeps inside my heart. _

And also I just wanted to reiterate that Kaoru doesn't have such a great singing voice (not in this fic). It's her emotions and sweet tone of voice that captivated the others.

Special thanks to Ryoga, June, HitokiriSky, Honeyz-Rinoa, cyjj, flaming-amber, cutie-chan-XD3, kirie-kun, Katana Midori, super, Lendra-chan, Just aboy, Boomerang-chan, kik-ting, Chibi Kiki, InuLimbo, Piper, Himura-chan, Eternal-senshi-s, Kitsune Kenshin, saotome, Koukeisha, Kiichi Dazai, Falconess106, stranger, RKfan86, Karen, Jade Catseye, Lizzie, Ochanoko, Tenshi-no-Hana-chan, Sugar-Crazy-Fox, nobody, Reignashii, Spike-Faye, De Lazy Lime, whitesparkles99, anna, ;) bratty, Coodle, JouChan, S3R3nity, andy, D-lolo, ariel, rain angst, Oni Tokage, Miaka, midnight pysch, and KKfan4ever for reviewing! Thanks so much for all of your support. ::hugs and passes out anji-flavored brownies?::


	17. Group Lesson

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Disclaimer : **Rurouni Kenshin is the property of Nobuhiro Watsuki, Shonen Jump, Viz, and Sony Productions. 

Special Thanks to Oni Tokage for your help when I had writer's block.

* * *

**Possession**

Donna8157

* * *

**Chapter 17 : Group Lesson**

"BEAR!!"

Ryuzaburo widened his eyes as he dropped his paintbrush in mid-stroke onto the dirt floor. The feeling of fear seemed to grasp at his throat and paralyze him when he heard the cry of alarm. He then turned over to Kaoru and seeing how pale she was, he quickly went over and stood in front of her with his two arms outstretched. It was then he heard the pounding of steps on the ground and he quickly took a few steps back, pushing Kaoru behind him.

"BOO!" The person who screamed bear was none other than Shura. She laughed as she clutched her stomach when she saw her two friends' expressions. "Haha! You both fell for it! You should see your faces right now!" she pointed.

Kaoru smiled a bit hesitantly as her face regained its color. She took a step back when she realized how close she was standing to Ryuzaburo, but tripped on a small stone.

_SPLASH!_

"Kaoru-san!" Ryuzaburo yelled when he turned back and realized that Kaoru had fallen into the small river. She had accidentally lost her balance when Shura had popped out in front of them. The blue-eyed woman quickly surfaced up from the water and let out a breath of air, luckily she could swim. "Here. Grab my hand!" the man called as he reached out.

The young woman grabbed it and he helped pull her out. She started to shiver when the cold air hit her wet skin.

"I'm . . I'm so sorry, Kaoru!" Shura apologized when she realized that the other girl had gotten wet.

"A-achoo!" she sneezed. She quickly rubbed her nose. Fat droplets of water dripped from her clothes and hair. Her two friends frowned.

"You'll catch a cold like this. Here have my jacket." Ryuzaburo took off his jacket and placed it over Kaoru's shoulders. Then he placed his arms over her shoulders and together the three of them started walking back to the campgrounds.

Kenshin watched from behind the tree with his heart still pounding from what he had just seen. When he had heard the cry of alarm, his feet started unconsciously moving towards the other side of the river where Kaoru was located. He stopped himself just before appearing in front of her when he saw that it was just another girl playing a joke. He grimaced as he leaned back against the tree.

_What's gotten into you, Kenshin?_

* * *

Ryuzaburo, Shura, and Kaoru trekked back to the camp and towards the girls' cabins. When the three of them arrived in front of Kaoru's cabin, her two friends immediately ordered Kaoru to stay in bed. She had a slight fever and they didn't want to see it get any worse. As soon as they saw that she was settled inside, Ryuzaburo and Shura left so that she could get some rest.

Minutes ticked by and the young woman lay in bed as she stared blankly at the roof above her. The sound of her classmates laughing and yelling could be heard from within the small cabin room. Hearing those muffled sounds of happiness only made Kaoru's feeling of loneliness accentuate.

_KNOCK KNOCK_

Kaoru looked over to her side in surprise. She wondered if Shura or Ryuzaburo had come. Instead, she saw Sanosuke walk into the room. The young woman widened her eyes and was about to push herself out of bed when the man motioned for her to lie back down.

"Hey jou-chan, I was just checking in on you," he said with a smile as he closed the door behind him. "I heard you got sick." He walked towards her and pulled a chair next to bed to sit down.

"Thank you, sir." Kaoru's eyes softened as she heard his words. Throughout the entire time that Kaoru had been with Kenshin, Sano had always been there for her. She was thankful for his warm kindness.

The spiky-haired man looked down at her expression and a handsome grin appeared on his face. "There's no need for thanks. We're friends, right?"

A small smile appeared on her lips when he said those words so sincerely to her.

"How are you feeling?" he asked with a hint of worry laced in his words.

"I'm feeling fine. It's just a slight fever."

"Well, just rest and get better. Tomorrow you can enjoy yourself," Sano said as he lightly brushed a few strands of her hair from her forehead. Kaoru graciously nodded her head slightly as she closed her eyes. For some reason, his presence was soothing to her and she quickly drifted off to sleep.

Sanosuke listened to the rhythm of her breathing and his eyes seemed to glaze over as he watched her.

_These feelings that I feel right now . . I'm almost afraid._

* * *

_The next day_

"TODAY'S GROUP ACTIVITY WILL BEGIN NOW. EVERYONE CHANGE AND LINE UP IN THE DOJO!"

The loud voice over the microphone cut through the students' chatting and laughter. They stopped their activities as they headed to change their clothes. It was already the second day of camp and free time had ended meaning that the group activities would start. It seemed that most of the students had been waiting for this moment.

When the majority of the students had lined up, an instructor dressed in a white gi and dark blue hakama walked up to the front with a bokken loosely gripped within his hands. He scanned the students' faces with his wise and steady eyes.

"Okay everyone. Today is your introduction to kendo lesson. I'm pleased to see that some of you already seem excited with the idea. The art of kendo is an important part of culture for us. It evolved from the samurai sword of old. . ."

The instructor went on and after his "short" speech lasting the span of thirty minutes, he finally allowed the fidgety students into the dojo. Once they took off their shoes, they entered and sat down on the polished wooden floors. They looked up expectantly at the older teacher. However, there was still one student that stood by the doors.

"Please come in, miss," the old man stated as he looked at her.

The blue-eyed girl widened her eyes when she realized that she had completely zoned out. When Kaoru walked inside, a feeling of nostalgia seemed to overwhelm her. How long had it been since she had been in one? Once she kneeled down on the ground, the teacher began his lesson promptly.

"The basic rules of kendo are fairly simple: strike one of your opponent's targets with your weapon before your opponent strikes yours. The strike must be delivered with proper form and power, such that the proper part of your weapon makes contact with the target area just as your right foot strikes the floor and must be accompanied by your shouting the name of the point you were going for."

The students watched him with open-mouthed expressions.

The teacher chuckled. "These rules are easy to grasp, but they take a lifetime to master. Maybe even more than a lifetime. Since we only have a day for this lesson, I will show you basic stances and how you should strike with your bokken. Please watch me demonstrate."

The teacher turned around so that his side was facing the students. He gripped the bokken within his hands at his waist level and spread his feet so that they were a shoulder-length apart. He then angled his weapon so that the tip would be leveled at his imaginary opponents' neck. With a strong swish he brought down the bokken. The students could hear the wood cut through the air with such strength that they were in awe.

"Sensei, how long have you been doing kendo?" a male student asked.

"Since I was a little boy," the teacher replied. "Now, I want all of you to stand up and grab a bokken from the corner of the room. I want you to practice swinging it and get a feel for the weight of the weapon in your hands."

The young people all but seemed to run to grab their own bokken. With looks of childish excitement, they started to the swing the weapon up and down carelessly. As the teacher watched them, an irritated frown began to grow on his face. He then turned his attention to a girl who was in the corner.

The old man widened his eyes when he saw how perfect her form was and how she skillfully executed each stroke. He quickly went over to her.

"Miss, what's your name?"

Kaoru stopped mid-stroke as she turned her head to look at the older teacher. With a bow, she answered him. "Kamiya Kaoru, sir."

"Well, Kamiya-san you seem to already know kendo. Why don't you - -" The teacher stopped in the middle of his sentence when he heard two voices shouting from outside the door. He narrowed his eyes.

"Sagara-san! How could you get us lost?! You said you knew the way back!" A blue-eyed boy glared at his taller friend as he walked inside the dojo.

"Well, what did you expect me to do? Everything looked the same to me! I can't tell one damn tree from the other." Sanosuke grumbled as he crossed his arms in front of him and chewed on a twig. "And plus, you should blame that guy back there! He's the one that made us go out there in the first place!" The brown-haired man pointed behind him.

Kenshin strode inside with an expressionless face with his hands stuck in his pockets. He didn't pay any attention to the group of the students that were blatantly staring at him as he walked to the corner of the room. He leaned against the wall and watched the scene with disinterest in the purple hues of his eyes.

Kaoru found her blue eyes veering towards his. She wondered if he was okay and was about to walk over towards him when he heard the teacher's low voice.

"Boys! You are late for the lesson!" the old man said as he looked between the three young men that had just come. "And you're not even properly dressed! This is shameful!" He pointed at the casual clothes that the three of them were wearing.

Soujiro quickly went over and bowed. "I'm terribly sorry, sensei. Himura-san was in the woods and we had to go out to search for him. We got lost on the way back thanks to . ." The blue-eyed boy glanced at the spiky-haired man behind him with a hint of anger. "thanks to Sagara-san."

Sanosuke growled almost inaudibly in response as he quickly bowed. "Sorry, sensei."

"I see . . well, I'll relieve the both of you punishment for the time being. However . ." the teacher looked over at Kenshin who was standing at the corner of the room. "Himura-san, I presume?"

"Yes," he said in a deadpan voice as he uncrossed his arms. He walked over to the teacher and lightly bowed.

"Have you learned kendo before?"

"Yes."

The older man raised an eyebrow amused. He knew how to deal with these kinds of students. "For your punishment, I will have you fight against me," he announced. In these cases, the teachers were always able to thoroughly punish their students and embarrass them in front of their classmates. Maybe that would put the boy in his place.

"Pick up a bokken."

Kenshin walked over to the corner of the room and picked up his weapon. He then swiftly turned and strode to the front of the room facing the teacher. The teacher looked over at the students who had formed a semi-circle around both of the fighters.

"Now students. Watch and learn. When you have a match, you must always bow towards your opponent as a sign of humility and gratitude." The teacher then turned back around and both he and Kenshin bowed towards each other.

"Let's begin," the old man said with a smile.

With a ferocious yell, the teacher lunged forward first expecting to land a hit on his target's head. It would end the match quickly and then he could go on helping the others with the lesson. However, when he was swinging down the bokken, his opponent seemed to disappear from the front of his eyes. _Where did that boy go? _It was then that he felt a gust of wind come up from behind him. The old man quickly swerved out of the way and barely was able to dodge Kenshin's strike.

The old man widened his eyes. He had to take this one seriously.

Regaining his composure, he backed up a few steps with his bokken grasped tightly in his hands. His mind was focused so that the only thing he could see, hear, and think about was the opponent in front of him. The kendo teacher then rushed forward and began pounding blow after blow hoping that one would connect. But none did. Kenshin countered every single one.

Kaoru watched from the sidelines with awe written all over her face. She had never known that Kenshin had practiced kendo before. A feeling of respect began to fill her senses for him. After all, she too had practiced kendo since she was a young girl and understood just how difficult it was. However, the way Kenshin was executing his moves and dodging the teacher's attacks just made it seem so simple. She was almost envious.

"HYAAA!" the old man screamed as he breathed in and out roughly. He once again lunged forward, this time aiming for the boy's hand. However, he realized too late that he had created an opening on his side. With a feeling of shock, he almost waited for the imminent doom to approach.

However, it never did come.

The teacher's strike had connected against the boy's hand. The old man looked up at Himura and saw the young man bow towards him. Sounds of loud clapping could be heard filled the entire dojo.

"Thank you, sensei," Kenshin said. After bowing, he placed the bokken back in the corner of the room.

The teacher stood there dumbfounded. He knew that the other boy should have been the one that would have won. However . . however . .

Kaoru watched Kenshin with surprise in the blues of her eyes. She had seen it. At that last moment, Kenshin had allowed the teacher to win. _Why would he do that?_, she thought.

Kenshin walked back to his place at the corner of the room and leaned against the wall. The teacher kept his eyes on him for a moment longer before turning back to the class. "All right . . . now where was I?" He wrinkled his gray brows as he pondered upon where he had stopped since the three came inside. "Oh! That's right." He looked over at Kaoru and motioned for her to stand up front.

"Kamiya-san, would you be so kind to demonstrate the proper way to strike with a bokken?"

Kaoru felt her cheeks redden a bit when she heard that she was to be called up. Nervousness seemed to flutter in her stomach when she realized that Kenshin would also be watching.

"Kamiya-san?"

The young woman quickly nodded and walked up front. The feeling of the familiar weight of the weapon put her heart at ease. She leveled her bokken in front of her just as the teacher did and adjusted her feet. Taking a deep breath, she counted each strike.

"1. . 2 . .3 . ."

Each time her bokken was brought down, the students could hear the cutting of the stagnant air.

Kenshin was surprised when he heard the old man call out Kaoru's name. But when he watched her, he began to feel a sense of awe. He was seeing a part of her that he had never known. The way her blue eyes blazed with determination and precision, the way her hands firmly gripped the bokken, and the confidence in each stroke. He felt like he was seeing a part of her that she seemed to have hidden from everyone. She executed each strike, each move with grace, strength, and determination. Her fluid-like movements seemed to captivate him and the rest of the audience.

_CLAP CLAP_

"Thank you, Kamiya-san for that display. I hope your peers will now try to do better," the teacher said. as he pointedly looked at the couple of students who were playing around earlier Kaoru bowed towards the teacher in reply and then bowed towards the others. When she stood back up again, she wiped the sweat from off of her brow. She heaved a sigh of relief as she walked back towards the group of students.

"That was great, Kamiya-san!!" Soujiro exclaimed as he patted her on the back.

"I didn't know that you could do kendo, jou-chan!" Sanosuke interjected with admiration.

Kaoru smiled as she looked at the both of her friends. She had learned kendo from her father when she was very young before her father's business had taken over his life. Doing it again after so long, gave her a good feeling. She glanced over to the corner where Kenshin was standing. Kaoru found his lavender hues look at her and she quickly looked back down.

* * *

The rest of the lessons went smoothly and finally ended around night time. The students came bounding out of the dojo with enthusiasm highlighted in their faces. They didn't know how fun kendo could be. As Kaoru walked out, she saw Kenshin's form drift towards the woods again. It was getting cold and she didn't want him to get sick. Quickly grabbing a coat from its place in the dojo, she ran to catch up with him.

* * *

Kenshin strolled through the twists and turns of the woods until he finally came to a small clearing and stopped. A small smile appeared on his lips as he remembered the events from that day. It wasn't that bad participating in school activities after all. As he stood there with the nightly dew striking, he suddenly felt cold and fixed the collar of his clothes.

_SNAP_

Kenshin turned around surprised at the sudden sound of someone stepping on a twig. Squinting his eyes, he made out the faint figure of Kaoru walking towards him with a coat in one of her hands. She put the warm coat over his shoulders. As the clothing was put on him, he felt the coldness slowly disappearing.

Feeling a bit awkward, the girl turned to the side and gazed at the stars in the night sky. Kenshin noticed her look away and glimpsed at her. As her raven-dark hair flew about from the night wind, it revealed her face that had been covered up. Even though it was dark, he could still make out the faint contours of her face and see the sapphire blues of her eyes. It captivated him.

Kaoru turned around when she felt Kenshin's eyes on her. Her eyes widened when she noticed how intensely he was looking at her. However, she could not take her gaze away from his.

Kenshin took his eyes away from her first and turned around slightly flustered. Right at that moment, a tree branch caught on his shoulder and flung into Kaoru's face.

"Uh!"

The red-haired man turned around shocked and his coat fell off his shoulders from the sudden movement. He looked at the girl and noticed that she was covering one of her eyes with her hands. Not thinking about anything else, he rushed towards her. He then gently took her hand away and tilted her face up so he could examine her eye. It seemed the branch had made a small cut right above her right eye. Kenshin dug into his pocket and pulled out a small tissue and cleaned the cut. After a while, when he noticed that the girl stopped squinting from pain, he let out a small sigh of relief.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes . . . I'm okay, sir." Kaoru blinked her eyes. The cut still stung a little, but she did not feel it. The young man nodded when he heard her reply and slowly reached out his hand and touched the cut with utmost care. He couldn't help but be drawn in further to Kaoru's pure and innocent eyes as he touched the area around them. As he continued to watch her, there was a small stir in his pupils. Kenshin slowly leaned towards her face, placed his lips on the wounded area, and kissed it. Kaoru accepted the kiss naturally.

From afar, a bright light was radiating from the campfire that had just started.

* * *

_Last day of camp_

"Wow! Look at these pictures!!" one student exclaimed as she pointed to the amount of photographs posted on the bulletin board.

"This one is of Kamiya," another student said as he pointed the picture of the girl doing kendo.

"And Himura when he was fighting against the teacher." Someone else pointed to a picture on the upper right hand corner of the board.

"They're all so photogen . . HEY!!!"

While the students were talking amongst themselves, someone had pushed them aside. When the students saw that person standing next to them, they became pale and ran away. The stoic man ignored the students and looked at the photographs with riveting, cold eyes. As he fixed his eyes on one of the pictures, a small smile spread on his face. A mysterious gleam rose in his eyes as he recognized Kamiya Kaoru. He slowly took the picture off the board and stared at the girl within it.

_You won't be smiling like this for long . . _

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- To be continued

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**Author's Notes:**

Hi! Please leave a review and tell me what you think! Thanks very much!! =D This chapter took longer since as I mentioned above, I had trouble coming up with the middle section. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. Next chapter should come out much sooner. Also .. I hope the part about the kendo lesson was understandable.

_Length of Story:_

I'm a little more than halfway through this fic. So it'll probably be around 25-30 chapters.

Special thanks to HitokiriSky, Eternal-Senshi-S, Vic'chonn, Ryoga, Josh, OniTokage, De Lazy Lime, Paleah, nobody, super, cutie-chan-XD3, cyjj. Himura-chan, JouChan, andy, Jade Catseye, Brittanie Love, erica6060, Katana Midori, Chibi Kiki, Sugar-Crazy-Fox, Kiichi Dazai, S3R3nity, Ochanoko, InuLimbo, Kitsune Kenshin, Coodle, BabyKaoru-sama, RKfan86, Boomerang-chan, Falconess106, stranger, moderndaybattousai, kik-ting, Reignashii, Raeyn-chan, ;) britty (sorry I misspelled it last time), kimi.the.water.spirit, Dragon Master271, saotome, Mz.Amber Eyes, tintin-chan, rkfan246, KKfan4ever, Dreamer, rain angst, sweetyfanfic, Spike-Faye, bonessasan, KawaiiChica, Tenshi-no-Hana-chan, AmayaSaria, BelleDayNight, Kaoru4, and chibi frog for reviewing! Thanks so much for all of your support. I'll try to update as much as possible before fall semester starts. =D ::hugs and passes out Shishio-brand band-aids (for those everyday wounds)::


	18. A Party

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* * *

Disclaimer : **Rurouni Kenshin is the property of Nobuhiro Watsuki, Shonen Jump, Viz, and Sony Productions.

* * *

**Possession**

Donna8157

* * *

**Chapter 18 : A Party**

"Wow Himura! You're a real photogenic guy!" Misao exclaimed as she scanned through the pictures. At the moment, Sanosuke, Soujiro, Kaoru, Kenshin, and Misao were together at Sano's apartment gathered in the living room. The four of them had returned from camp the other day and were currently browsing through the pictures that they had taken.

"Ooh, check this picture out Kaoru-san!" the girl exclaimed as she passed a photograph over to Kaoru who was sitting next to her on the couch.

Kaoru carefully took hold of the picture and noticed that it was a close-up of Kenshin. He was in a kendo stance with his bokken poised slightly over his head. His lavender eyes were narrowed in concentration as they seemed to study the opponent in front of him. Seeing the picture, the young woman couldn't help but glance over at Kenshin. He was sitting in one of the wooden chairs to the side of her with his line of vision directed towards the window and his arms crossed in front of his chest.

Seeing him, she remembered the soft kiss that he had given her that night at camp. Kaoru was shocked at herself because she had accepted his lips so willingly. Since that incident, her face would turn red with embarrassment whenever she saw him. Fortunately for her, Kenshin treated her no differently than before. From time to time however, that kiss would pop into her head and her face would glow. The place where Kenshin had kissed her would become hot as if it were burned. And actually that happened quite often to the young woman's dismay.

"What do you think of the picture, Kaoru-san?" Misao's voice interrupted Kaoru's thoughts and the blue-eyed woman widened her eyes realizing that she had completely forgotten about everyone around her.

"Huh? . . it . . came out . . re . .really good," Kaoru stuttered feeling a bit flustered. Luckily, Misao seemed to be concentrating on the picture and did not notice the expression on her face. Regaining her senses, the girl quickly put the picture back down in the pile on the coffee table.

"Ooh!" Misao beamed as she passed another picture over to Kaoru in excitement. "You look great in this picture!"

Hearing Misao's comment, Kenshin unconsciously turned around and caught a glimpse of the picture that Kaoru held in her hand. He couldn't make out much because of his distance, but he could tell that it was one of her in her gi and hakama. The red-haired man also noticed the small smile that flitted by her face that mere second while she looked at it.

"Let me see the picture, jou-chan," Sano asked as he leaned over Kaoru's shoulder to look at the photo. The spiky-haired man's voice broke Kenshin out of his momentary stupor and the man quickly turned back to face the window once more.

"For once I'd have to agree with the weasel girl. You look nice there." A small, tender grin appeared on the man's face as he complimented her. Kaoru turned around to tell him thank you when she realized for the first time how close his face was to hers. They were only a few mere inches apart. The girl's cheeks instantly reddened and she looked down quickly.

"Umm . . thank you, sir."

Seeing her reaction, Sano's grin only grew wider. She looked so cute when she was embarrassed like that.

"Hey rooster-head, can you grab me a drink?" Misao asked as she continued to study the pictures.

_Che! _The other man stood back up and muttered something under his breath about weasels being lazy, but made his way to the kitchen nevertheless.

"Thanks rooster-head!" the girl shouted from behind.

"Since you're already up, could you get me a drink too, Sagara-san?" A polite smile appeared on Soujiro's face as he looked over at the other. "And I'm sure Kamiya-san and Himura-san would like some, too."

"Fine."

Soujiro grinned with satisfaction as he looked back down at the photographs in his hand. As he flipped through them, he saw one of Kanryuu. Seeing his picture made the boy remember something important. He lifted his head up casually as he looked over at Kenshin. "Himura-san, what are you going to do about Takeda-san's birthday party? I heard it was going to be tomorrow at his house."

When Soujiro mentioned Kanryuu's name, Kaoru suddenly dropped all the pictures that were in her hand onto the ground. Alarmed, the three of them looked at her.

"Kaoru-san?" Misao asked with worry and confusion swirling in her green eyes.

The blue-eyed woman flinched when she heard Misao's call and instantly started picking up the pictures one by one. While she was doing this, Kenshin couldn't help but notice how her hands were trembling slightly and how her eyes seemed to grow dull.

"Kamiya-san, let me help," Soujiro exclaimed as he squat down and helped gather the rest of the pictures. He realized he had made a mistake when he had mentioned the other's name. He had forgotten that Kaoru didn't hold any good feelings towards Kanryuu, who had always bothered her since her arrival.

_But . .how could Kamiya-san react like this when she just hears his name? Did something happen?, _Soujiro wondered to himself. As he picked up the last picture, the young man looked up at Kaoru and saw how pale her complexion was at the moment. He remembered a while back when there was that unpleasant incident in the cafeteria with Kanryuu and Kaede, but Kaoru had remained so calm throughout the entire ordeal. _But now .. she looks frightened by just hearing his name._ Suspicion seemed to cloud his dark blue eyes as he watched her sit back down on the couch.

_What happened to you, Kamiya-san?_

"Well, it's not like we're not obligated to go." A voice from the side broke Soujiro from his thoughts. He looked over and saw that Sano had come out of the kitchen with a tray full of drinks.

The spiky-haired man had a deep frown on his face from the mention of Kanryuu. Sano had developed a hatred for him since that night at the club when he had mistreated Kaoru. He definitely had no desire to see him again, especially not to celebrate some damn birthday with him. The man also thought that it would be good for Kaoru if they didn't attend.

"Yeah, I don't like that Kanryuu guy anyway," Misao interjected as she put away the pictures with a grimace on her lips. She didn't know exactly why Kaoru would have misgivings about Kanryuu, but it was certain that Misao thought he was a creep. There was a time when Kanryuu had come to visit Himura's house and had tried to, in layman's terms, cop a feel on her. Luckily, her Aoshi-sama was there to stop it.

"Yeah . . so let's not go. Right, Kenshin?" Sano looked over at his friend who had remained quiet the entire time.

". . . ." The other didn't seem to respond and a resulting heavy silence blanketed the small room.

Sanosuke gruffly sighed as he set down the drinks on the table and sat next to Kaoru.

Attempting to lighten the mood, he asked, "Let me see the pictures, jou-chan." Kaoru passed the photographs to him and Sanosuke started to browse through them.

As he flipped through the pictures, he found his eyes instantly attracted to the photos with Kaoru in them. A broad smile emerged from his lips as he looked at the girl's image. That day at camp, she seemed so vibrant and full of life. Something that was probably more of how she was before she had met them. And seeing her like that, he promised himself that he would always protect that smile of hers.

"What's with that goofy smile on your face, rooster-head? Are you thinking perverted thoughts about Kaoru-san?" Misao accused.

Sanosuke widened his eyes as he looked up at her, befuddled by the brazen question. "I . ." His face started turning red and he put down the pictures. He dared to dart a glance at Kaoru and found to his relief that she seemed to be lost in her own world. "O-of course not, weasel girl!" he exclaimed as he motioned his arms in protest frantically.

Misao chuckled as she waved the matter off. "I was just playing with you. Don't act so serious." The jade-eyed girl turned to Kaoru and nudged her a bit in the side with her elbow. "Don't you think Sano is acting a bit suspicious?" she whispered behind her hand.

However, Kaoru didn't hear what was said and found her thoughts drifting towards tomorrow's plans for attending the birthday party. A familiar chilling voice seemed to penetrate her thoughts.

_"I warned you. Did you forget already? You'll get hurt if you think I'm joking around. Remember that . . . doll." _

The more she tried to overlook those words and Kanryuu's cold and intense dark eyes that day, the more they become embossed into her mind.

* * *

_The next day_

"Take those looks off your faces, Himura-san and Sagara-san. We're here to celebrate Takeda-san's birthday, but you look like you're going to some funeral. If you were going to be like this, we shouldn't have come here from the start," Soujiro exclaimed fretfully as he suddenly stopped and looked at Kenshin and Sanosuke. The spiky-haired man had a grimace on his face while the other had an ambivalent expression. The blue-eyed boy shook his head sadly, they were worse than he was at times.

Soujiro looked behind the two and noticed that Kaoru was trailing behind the three of them. "Kamiya-san, are you okay?" he asked aloud as he paused in his steps. Sanosuke and Kenshin were brooding in their own worlds, so they continued to go on ahead.

At the time, Kaoru was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't hear Soujiro calling her. With each step she took, anxiety seemed to gnaw at her insides. She appeared completely dismal.

"Kamiya-san?" Soujiro walked up to her and lightly put his hand over her shoulder.

Feeling the sudden touch, the young woman jerked up her head with alarm. She let out a sigh of relief mixed with embarrassment when she realized that it was only Soujiro.

The boy furrowed his brows when he noticed how uncomfortable she looked. "Kamiya-san, I've been calling out to you for a couple of times already. Are you okay?"

"Y-yes, sir. I'm sorry I didn't hear you," she replied meekly. _Get a grip, Kaoru_, she told herself as she pushed herself to continue along.

Soujiro sighed sadly as he heard her response. There was definitely something wrong with her, but it hurt that she didn't trust him enough to tell him what was wrong with her. He watched her as she started walking faster to catch up with the other two.

* * *

_DING DONG_

The butler opened the door and quickly bowed. "Master Himura, Master Sagara, and Master Seta it's a pleasure having you come to our young master's birthday. You can find Master Takeda in the den with the others."

The three of them nodded quietly and went inside. Kaoru stood at the door, a bit hesitant about stepping in before the butler motioned for her to go inside.

Realizing that there was no choice, she took a step through the door. "Thank you," she said politely.

As Kaoru walked in, she could help but feel a sense of amazement at the sheer elegance of the Takeda mansion. The structure was lavished with the antique furniture and the most ornate kinds of decorations. It was not as large as Kenshin's estate, but the place itself was still formidable. As she followed the three of them further into the house, the familiar smell of liquor and nicotine began to penetrate her nostrils

"Hey! You guys are a little late!" When the four of them had stepped into the den, Kanryuu greeted them joyfully as he raised a full glass of hard liquor.

Sanosuke's frown instantly deepened and he narrowed his cinnamon-brown eyes at the sight of the man. Seeing Sano's expression, Soujiro quickly jabbed him in the side.

"Don't cause trouble, Sagara-san," Soujiro whispered heatedly as Kanryuu approached them.

"Thanks for coming." Kanryuu shifted his eyes onto Kenshin.

Kaoru, who was standing behind Kenshin, couldn't bring herself to look up at the other man. For some reason, a cold shiver would always go up her spine whenever she saw him, whenever she was near him. At that moment, she felt someone put his arm around her shoulders. The girl widened her eyes and looked over at whom the arm belonged.

It was Kenshin.

However, he didn't look at her and only pulled her closer to him.

Kanryuu smirked when he saw the gesture. "I see Kamiya is here, too. I thought you wouldn't be coming," he stated with a cocky grin as he steadied his eyes on the girl.

Kenshin narrowed his eyes. "There's no reason why she can't come."

The other man's grin widened as he crossed his arms and let a hoarse chuckle escape. "You're right, after all . . she's just a shadow that follows you around everywhere."

"At least she's more reliable than your idiotic subordinate that follows you around mindlessly," the red-haired man retorted in a steady voice.

Kanryuu's grin faltered at those words and his face slowly started to heat up with anger. A psychological warfare seemed to have taken place between Kanryuu and Kenshin for a short period of time. During that time, Kaoru felt as though she was being suffocated by the heavy tension between the two of them and wished that she could escape from the situation.

"Let's go, Himura-san," Soujiro interjected.

Soujiro's voice seemed to successfully break the cold atmosphere between the two of them. A mocking smile reappeared on Kanryuu's face. "Yeah .. everyone was waiting for you guys to come. You don't want to disappoint them, do you?" The dark-haired man glanced over at Kaoru from behind his glasses and a malicious glint seemed to pass through his eyes before he turned around and left. Kenshin noticed it and immediately tightened his hold on Kaoru's shoulder.

"Don't leave my side."

With surprise, Kaoru looked up at Kenshin's face. He was currently staring at Kanryuu's back as the man was walking away from them. For some reason, with him by her side, . . she felt . . .safe.

"Damn, I can't stand that guy!" Sanosuke muttered roughly underneath his breath when the spectacled man was well away from hearing range.

Soujiro agreed nonverbally, he too had caught that glint in the other's dark eyes. "Well, as long as Himura-san is by Kamiya-san's side . . Takeda-san won't try anything." The boy narrowed his blue eyes as he looked over at the man who was at the far corner with his companion Kaede.

After a few long minutes of standing there, the four of them finally started to move around and mingle with the other people at the party. Kenshin walked towards the corner with Kaoru close by him and sat down in one of the chairs. The lavender-eyed man had felt something unusual when he saw the way Kanryuu was looking at Kaoru. He couldn't quite place a finger on what the feeling was, but he didn't like it.

* * *

Kaoru stood behind Kenshin throughout the whole party. As she glanced down at him, she remembered the words that he had uttered to her.

_"Don't leave my side._"

Those few words . . for some reason they seemed rather noble. She shook her head as she looked around the room. Sanosuke and Soujiro were off in different corners of the room having a conversation with the many people surrounding them. They looked like they were having fun. 

"Have a drink, sir." A waiter had come up to the both of them and had a tray of beverages. At the waiter's offer, Kenshin picked up a glass of wine. As the waiter was about to hand another glass of wine to Kaoru, Kenshin stopped him and instead reached for the glass of orange juice.

"Thank you." Kaoru felt marginally relieved when the man had passed her the juice instead. She took a sip of it and a small ghost of a smile appeared on her face. She shouldn't have worried so much about coming here in the first place.

* * *

From across the room, a dark-haired man watched as Kaoru drank the orange juice. He nodded towards the waiter and the waiter nodded back signaling that the task had been done.

_Welcome. Kamiya Kaoru. _

A malevolent smirk appeared on Kanryuu's face as he lifted the glass of whiskey towards his mouth.

* * *

"Hey Kenshin! Long time no see!! Where have you been lately? I haven't seen you at the club like usual. What happened?" A male from the other side of the room spotted Kenshin and came towards him. Followed by that person, a mass number of people began surrounding the red head. Because of this, Kaoru was pushed off to the side. She stood there uncomfortably as she saw all the people around Kenshin and brought the drink up to her mouth again.

At that moment, someone bumped into her.

"Uh!" Kaoru yelped.

"I'm sorry. Oh no .. look what happened!" The wine in the other person's hand had accidentally poured onto Kaoru's clothes. The person quickly took out a handkerchief from his coat pocket and began wiping her off.

The young woman looked startled as she tried to pull away. "It's okay . . I'll clean it up myself."

The other man looked up with widened eyes. "No . . no. It's my fault." He continued to recklessly try to wipe off the stains, but to no avail. The man frowned as he looked at the state of her clothes. "This isn't going to help. I think you'll have to wash it." He grabbed her wrist and began dragging her to the staircase. "I'll get you a change of clothes. Don't worry."

Kaoru looked behind her and saw Kenshin besieged by other people at the party. _I'll only be gone for a minute. It should be okay_.

"I'm really sorry," the person continued to apologize as he led her up the spiraling staircase.

"No . .it's all right." Kaoru began to feel a bit sorry for the person for he seemed to express his regret so fervently.

When they reached the top of the stairs, they went down a twisting hallway. "It's in here." The other pointed to the door to the far end of the maze-like hall. Kaoru nodded and stepped into the room. The pitch black darkness and silence seemed to engulf her as she went inside. She couldn't even take a step forward because it was almost impossible to distinguish anything in front of her.

She turned around and called out to the person on the other side. "Where's the swit - -"

_BANG_

The door slammed shut and the click of the lock was heard. Kaoru widened her blue eyes as she grabbed at the doorknob in shock. She started to jiggle the doorknob thinking that it might open, but it didn't. Someone had locked it from the outside. Her palms started to get wet and her fingertips were as cold as ice from the nervousness. _Something's wrong, _she warned herself. Fear and anxiety began to claw at her senses as she began to bang on the door.

_CLICK_

Kaoru turned around in surprise. There was someone else besides her in the room. A small flame from the single lamp flickered faintly at the far-end of the bedroom started to grow brighter. Kaoru's eyes adjusted to the light and she saw the outlines of another other person's face. When she realized who it was, her heart sunk down in dread and a feeling of nausea overcame her.

_"You bitch! I'm warning you . . it'll be best if you stick next to Kenshin when you go anywhere from now on. Because if you don't . . . if you don't," he repeated. "You don't know what I'll do to you." _

Kaoru's heart began to thump loudly against her chest as she was reminded of what he had told her that time in the stairwell at school. She took a step back.

The man smirked. "I've warned you a couple of times, didn't I?"

That voice that had always grated on her nerves flowed out of his mouth and echoed inside the confines of the room. A chill rose up Kaoru's spine. Everything that she had feared seemed to come crashing down on her. Her hand blindly reached behind her, hoping to grasp some type of object to defend herself with, but alas there was nothing, but the cold, hard wall.

As the light from the lamp grew brighter, Kanryuu's form began to appear much more clearly. He smiled calmly towards the girl. Next to him was Kaede with a malicious grin decorating her thin lips. However, they weren't the only two in there. As the flames grew, she realized that there were quite a lot of people, maybe four or five more. All of them were looking at her with the same kind of intense eyes and faint smiles.

"The medicine should take effect about now . ." Kanryuu glanced at his watch and smiled as he stared in attentiveness at Kaoru.

Kaoru furrowed her brows as she wondered what he was saying. But as the next few seconds elapsed, she understood with horror what it was that he meant. Blood seemed to leave her face and all the muscles in her body began to give way when the medicine started to work its effects. Realizing too late what was going to happen, she weakly turned towards the door and cried out.

"Help!! Hel - - "

She leaned against the tightly closed door, not even having the strength left to stand up or talk anymore. As Kanryuu nodded his head to the two people next to him, they went towards Kaoru and pulled her towards him.

Kaoru was held between the two men's arms as she was dragged over to the spectacled man.

"Don't worry, doll. You won't be able to move you body for just a while." He touched her cheek gently before he ordered the others to put a gag around her mouth.

* * *

"Sano-kun, what are you doing tomorrow n - -"

"Sano!!"

"Huh?" Sanosuke was brought out of his momentary daze when the woman next to him began pulling on his arm playfully. "Eh .. what did you say?"

"I asked if you were free tomorrow night . ." The woman smiled flirtatiously as she bat her eyelashes at the other man.

"I'm gonna be busy . ."

"What about the day after tomorrow?"

"No."

"What about next weekend?"

Sano passively turned towards her and looked at her seriously. "I'm sorry, I'm just not interested in seeing anyone right now."

After hearing the rejection the woman turned around and left. Sano sighed as he looked around at the other people at the party. He was feeling a bit tired from all the socializing and wanted to just get away from there. He then scanned the room, wondering how the others were faring. He turned his head and saw Soujiro in the far corner smiling while talking to Shishio and Yumi. Sano shook his head. Some things would never change.

He looked elsewhere and then noticed a bush of red-hair near the corner of the room. Sano strained his neck a bit to get a better view of his friend. There was a clear frown on Kenshin's face as he tried to push away the girls who were flirting with him. It seemed as though Kenshin disliked being there as much as he did himself. Sanosuke then looked around the area where Kenshin was.

_Where's jou-chan?_, he wondered. _She's supposed to be next to him._

He then felt a light touch on his shoulders. He looked down and saw that it was another girl from his class "Eh. Sano-kun, what are you looking at?"

"Umm .. it's nothing," he said as he shrugged off the uncomfortable feeling. He felt strange, but he had not other choice but to start another conversation with the girls around him.

* * *

A feeling of irritation began to pervade Kenshin's mind as he sat there with all the people surrounding him. All of their talking and bickering was beginning to hurt his ears. Wondering if Kaoru was okay, he turned around and looked for her. His pupils which were at first slowly scanning the room at first suddenly began to move rapidly with alarm. Where was she? Didn't he tell her to stay beside him? He then looked towards Sanosuke and Soujiro, thinking that maybe she went to talk to them. However, he didn't see her there either.

Worry and a bit of fear began to clog his senses. He got up and pushed aside the people that were crowding him and looked around the room once more. Confusion and anxiety was written all over face.

At that moment, Sanosuke had lifted his head while he was half-listening to what the girl next to him was saying. He noticed Kenshin standing in the middle of the room with a bewildered expression on his visage.

A feeling of apprehension swirled in Sano's eyes as he disregarded the people around him and walked towards Kenshin. The lavender-eyed man didn't seem to notice that Sano's presence.

"What's wrong? What happened?" the brown-haired man asked.

Only at that moment when the other spoke did Kenshin realize that Sanosuke was beside him. "I . . I don't see Kaoru," Kenshin answered in a low voice.

Blood instantly drained from Sano's face. "Wh-what?!?! What . . what are you talking about?! What do you mean you don't see jou-chan?" he questioned frantically. The tips of his fingers tingled with unease as he heard the news.

From the other end of the room, Soujiro noticed Kenshin and Sanosuke who were standing around with worried looks on their faces. Wondering what was wrong, he quickly made his way to them. "What happened? Shouldn't Kamiya-san be with you?" He searched their eyes and saw the grave expressions on their faces.

"She's not here . ." Sano responded.

"What! Kamiya-san is not here?" Soujiro looked at them in shock. "How can this be?"

As Kenshin looked around, he realized that there was another person absent from the room. He clenched his fists until his knuckles became pale.

"Kanryuu . . . that bastard."

-

-

-

-

-

- To be continued

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**Author's Notes : **

Please leave a review and tell me what you think! I might hold off on writing the next chapter so I can get another chapter out for "A Memory Forgotten." I've really put that fic on hold for long enough. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Thanks for continuing to read it.

_A note about the medicine:_

It leaves the patient's muscles paralyzed for an hour or so, though he/she remains fully awake and aware of what is going on around him/her.

Special thanks to Ryoga, flaming-amber, HitokiriSky, Jr., Crazyperson, De Lazy Lime, Eternal-Senshi-S, saotome, cutie-chan-XD3, Kaoru4, Jade Catseye, erica6060, chibi frog, tintin-chan, rkfan246, cyjj, psychotic-catster, stranger, Nakashima-Michiyo, Kiichi Dazai, Oni Tokage, samuraiduck27, Vejitagurl, Chibi Kiki, Spike-Faye, Reignashii, MizzLee, S3R3nity, rain angst, Tenshi-no-Hana-chan, kimi.the.water.spirit, ariel, kodaku, nobody, Kitsune Kenshin, AmayaSaria, kik-ting, RKfan86, Vic'chonn, Coodle, BabyKaoru-sama, Angel of loneliness, Raeyn-chan, ;) britty, KKfan4ever, Mz. Amber Eyes, Josh, bonessasan, Dreamer, kiriekun, Lil-Sun-Rie, Ochanoko, misakililin, Katana Midori-Fading Shadow, Falconess106, Silent Fear, KawaiiChica, Sugar-Crazy-Fox, Himura-chan, TimeWarper, Babo-chan, and Boomerang-chan for reviewing! Thanks so much for reviewing!!! I really love reading your comments. ::passes out little sakabatou keychains::


	19. Too Late

**

* * *

Disclaimer : **Rurouni Kenshin is the property of Nobuhiro Watsuki, Shonen Jump, Viz, and Sony Productions.

**Warning : **This chapter is rated R for violence and mature situations.

**Notes : **I edited some parts of the previous chapter, so if anything in this chapter doesn't seem to make sense .. please refer back to Chapter 18.

* * *

**Possession**

Donna8157

* * *

**Chapter 19 : Too Late**

Her body felt heavy.

She didn't even have the strength to raise her head.

And everything around her seemed to be a blur.

Kaoru weakly lifted her half lidded eyes and found them staring into a pair of steel cold, dark orbs. She narrowed her eyes and wanted to scream, but her voice was muffled by the piece of cloth around her mouth. Kanryuu smirked as he watched her.

"Your owner . . Himura . . seems to care for you a lot," he started, while he reached into his jacket pocket. Kaoru's eyes followed his hands and watched him take out a small army knife. Kanryuu twirled the knife this way and that so that the reflection of the blade's light could be seen vividly. An evil grin appeared on his face as he continued to look at the object in his hands. "That night at the club . . Himura scratched my pride. I thought that he would know better than to do that."

Then Kanryuu looked back down at Kaoru who was two head's length shorter than he was at the moment. Satisfied at the situation at hand, the man continued to speak.

"It's because of you. It's your fault," he stated. With brows furrowed, his lips grew into a small snarl. "It was a big mistake if you had thought that I would not do anything after having my pride trampled upon. How big of an existence are you to Himura anyway?" Kanryuu looked back at the knife in his hands and touched the blade with his fingers. "I'm curious . . how would he react if I hurt you?"

He made his way towards her while teasingly playing with the knife in his hands. He raised it in front of her face and placed the tip of the blade against the cloth around her lips.

"If you're good, I'll take this gag off . ."

Taking her silence as a yes he began cutting off the piece of cloth with the knife in his hands. However as he did so, the knife drew a thin line of blood on her cheek. When the gag came off, Kanryuu smiled viciously.

"I like the color of blood against your skin. It's rather . . enticing."

Kaoru widened her eyes in fright as the feeling of dread only seemed to increase exponentially. But however, that feeling slowly dissipated into anger.

"You . . you bastard!"

Everyone in the room stood there in shock, surprised to see that the girl would have the gall to say such things even in her current circumstance.

"Hahahaha!" Kanryuu laughed.

Kaoru's blue eyes widened in confusion and fear when she saw his reaction.

The spectacled man roughly reached behind her head and grabbed her hair, jerking it back. Tangled strands of raven hair were clutched within his grasp. Kaoru squinted her eyes in pain as he tightened his grip on her hair.

"Doll . . don't you ever talk to me like that again," he sneered. "Remember what your position is . ."

He brought up the knife in his hands and placed the tip of the blade of the knife near her throat. The coldness of the blade sent shivers up Kaoru's body. Beads of sweat began to form on her forehead. Kanryuu added pressure on the blade of the knife against her throat. Kaoru's fast and violent pulse could be felt through the blade.

"You're sweating a lot," he observed as he brushed back a few strands of hair from her face. "Are you hot?"

Kanryuu slowly brought the knife down towards the front of her blouse. He smiled when he saw her frightened look. In a mechanical motion while keeping his eyes on her, he started to strip off the buttons of her blouse one by one with the blade. As the buttons fell off, her bra slowly came into view. Kanryuu's hand stopped as he saw her bare skin.

"White skin . . "

Kanryuu reached out his hand and placed it near her heart. The pulsing of her heart that was sent through the knife awhile ago was now being felt through his hand more violently.

As Kaoru felt his cold hand, a feeling of nausea and disgust rose in the pits of her stomach. She clenched her eyes closed. As she did so, the blood around her cheek began to gradually flow down creating a thin red trail towards her neck.

Red blood, white skin, and glossy lips . . . as these things strangely combined together, it began to arouse awkward feelings in Kanryuu. A queer gleam of light passed in his eyes. One side of his lips curled up as he slowly brought his face close to Kaoru. Frightened and perplexed, the woman turned her head away, but strength went into the man's hand that was holding onto the knife.

"You should be careful . . It's foolish to lose your life by resisting. And with the effects of the medicine, even if you wanted to move . . you'd have to wait awhile longer." A sickening smile was plastered on Kanryuu's visage as he enjoyed his position as the upper hand in these matters. Kaoru shuddered as she looked at him, his was face was only a few mere inches away from her.

Kaoru shut her eyes tightly as she saw his face coming towards her. She tried to avoid him, but her body wouldn't listen.

When he placed his lips on hers, the metallic and brackish tang of blood began to spin inside his mouth and he could feel her soft lips shaking severely. As he felt the strange ecstasy, he started to delve into her mouth more roughly. At that moment, something hot dropped onto his cheek.

Blinking open his eyes and releasing his lips from hers, he pulled back. Kaoru's tightly shut eyes came into Kanryuu's sight. Her long eyelashes were damp and trembling slightly.

"Kanryuu?" Kaede, who had been watching Kanryuu's actions with suspicion, tapped him on the shoulder. 

"Huh?" Kanryuu was surprised by Kaede's touch and quickly came back to his senses. He took the knife away from her skin and walked away. He waved his hand at the others as a signal to start. At his command, the people in the room started to surround Kaoru's body.

* * *

"Where is she?" Kenshin murmured under his breath.

Kenshin, Sanosuke, and Soujiro had split up and started to search every corner of Kanryuu's estate. It was such a large place that they could not seem to find her. As Kenshin looked around, worry seemed to grow in the pit of his stomach. He remembered that look that Kanryuu had in his eyes when he was gazing at Kaoru. He guessed that the bastard was planning something, but how could he have lost sight of her so easily? Wasn't she standing right behind him? He racked his brain as he tried to remember the last time he had seen her.

At that moment, someone came into his line of sight. Different from the other people having fun at the party, this person had a stiff face and his movements were rather awkward and suspicious. The man must have felt Kenshin's eyes on him for his eyes met the other. But when he saw him, the man quickly looked away.

Thinking that something was indeed wrong, Kenshin rapidly strode over to where the other man was located. When the man saw him approaching, he started walking in the other direction.

* * *

"Did you find her?" Sanosuke asked Soujiro as they bumped into each other in the midst of searching for Kaoru. Soujiro shook his head in response. They quickly realized how serious the situation was becoming.

Sanosuke clenched his fists tightly as he furrowed his brows in anger and fear. "If . . if this is all Kanryuu's plan . . . I won't let that bastard get away with it. Never!!" He slammed his fist into one of the adjacent walls. The people around them quickly turned around with widened eyes, surprised by the sudden motion.

Soujiro looked around and realized that he had to calm his friend down or it may arouse unwanted attention. He placed a hand on Sano's tense shoulders. "Let's go find Himura-san. He may have perhaps found some information."

The spiky-haired man grimaced as he nodded slowly.

* * *

"Hurry up and tell me . . I'm not that patient," Kenshin warned as he glared at the man that he had been following. The red-haired man had a firm grip around the other person's collar and threw him against the wall. The man cried out in pain as he slumped down. His face was already bloodied and beaten to an almost unrecognizable state.

"Th-third floor . . th-third floor room," the man said through raspy breaths in an almost inaudible voice. "She . ."

Without listening to the rest, Kenshin started to run towards the main living space where the stairs were located.

_Please don't let it be too late._

* * *

"Ugh . . mm . ."

"Is it over already? That was boring," one man commented as he crossed his arms in front of his chest, his lips were partly turned down in an unsatisfied manner.

_CRASH_

The door was kicked down and someone entered. With his breathing heavy, the man went straight towards Kanryuu. The spectacled man was bemused by how quickly the other had come and a smug smile appeared on his face.

"What's wrong Himura? Why do you look so tense?"

"Where is she?!" Kenshin demanded as he stood in front of the other.

"Who?" Kanryuu asked flippantly as his smile grew wider. Seeing this, Kenshin's face began to contort with anger.

"Where is Kaoru?!" he almost shouted. He could barely hold the rage that had been boiling within him.

Kanryuu raised a fine brow and he chuckled humorously. "Ah yes . . your doll." Instead of giving Kenshin a direct answer, he turned his eyes towards where the group was standing. Kenshin's eyes moved as he followed Kanryuu's gaze. The group of people that had been standing close together slowly started to move towards the side.

Kenshin's eyes widened when he saw what lay in between. Her outer clothes had been torn to shreds, her hair was disheveled, there were dark red spots of blood soaking her pale skin, and her body was limp as if she had lost consciousness. Seeing this sight made Kenshin's mind empty into whiteness.

Finally, the two people that were supporting Kaoru's arms let her go and moved to the side. She fell onto the floor feebly without uttering a sound.

Kenshin's eyes were only fixed on Kaoru who lay crumpled on the ground. It seemed as if time had stopped and the only thing in his sight and in his mind was the girl in front of him. His body felt completely numb from everything else that was happening around him. He wanted to go over to her and see if she was okay . . . if . . if she was still alive, but he was frozen in the same spot. Still in shock.

It was then that Kanryuu's voice broke Kenshin's thoughts.

"The guys were real unsatisfied by how weak she . ."

Kenshin's fists started trembling as he stared at Kaoru's body lying on the floor unmoving.

Without warning, the red-haired man threw a fist in Kanryuu's face. Hearing what the other man had said had made Kenshin lose his last string of control.

Kanryuu fell back from the impact of the punch and his hand went to his bruised cheek. Shock was written all over his dark eyes. As he watched Kenshin, he noticed with horror how his lavender eye color slowly started turning into a shade of amber.

Kenshin couldn't think about anything else, his only thoughts were about Kaoru who had been beaten into this current state. His feelings were in such an uproar that he began lashing out violently against the others in the room. The people in the room couldn't seem to do anything and were completely helpless to the oncoming onslaught of punches. Even when they tried to fight back, Kenshin seemed to block everything. One by one they were thrown onto the ground. It was beyond their capacity to win against Himura, who had already lost control.

"Kenshin!!" Soujiro and Sanosuke shouted their friend's name in a hurry as they entered the room.

However, Kenshin was oblivious to their cries and couldn't stop himself. He continued to throw punches at the people that had caused Kaoru harm. He was not going to forgive them that easily. One by one the perpetrators fell to the floor sputtering and coughing up blood.

_Himura-san . . he's completely lost control. He could kill someone._

Realizing this, Soujiro rushed behind his friend and embraced him from the back. As Kenshin continued to throws his fists not being able to hide his rage, the boy only held him tighter to try to calm him down. Fortunately, Kenshin stopped struggling and the blue-eyed man slowly started to let go of him feeling a bit relieved.

When Kenshin stopped, he turned around and stared at Kanryuu with his amber eyes as he breathed heavily.

Kanryuu returned his stare with the same sort of intensity. His face was already bloody and his glasses had been broken and lay crooked across the bridge of his nose. Neither of them moved.

"Jou-chan!!!" Sanosuke finally saw Kaoru's form near the corner of the room. His face distorted into worry and fear as he rushed over to her side. Soujiro also ran over to her alarmed by the sight.

Sanosuke gently proper her up with his arms and looked for a pulse. Luckily, it was still strong. Then he looked over at Kanryuu. Sano seemed as though he too was about to lose control and hail blows upon the other man at any second.

"It's not the time to do this," Soujiro calmly said through a strained voice. He held onto Sanosuke's arm and warned him to not act out brashly at this time. The taller man displayed his patience by clenching his teeth and moving his gaze away from Kanryuu. This would have to wait for another day.

_But right now . . Jou-chan . .Kaoru . .I'm worried about you. _

He carefully lifted Kaoru up in his arms and held her against his body. Surprisingly, her body seemed to be so light. Then Sanosuke started to walk out of the room. As Soujiro followed Sano out, he tapped Kenshin, who was still standing there like a stone.

The red-haired man was still glaring at Kanryuu and his hatred for him seemed to speak volumes to the others in the room. "It'll be good if you never appear in front of me again. Keep that in mind," he spat out coldly as he turned around.

Even through the pain, Kanryuu let a small smirk appear on his lips. "It's a surprise," he started as he gazed at Kenshin's back. "that _the _Himura Kenshin who had never lost confidence in any situation, can be seen out of control like this. Aren't you overreacting a bit? After all, it is just a master-servant relationship. Could it be . . that you have fallen in love with someone as lowly as her?"

Soujiro turned around with his blue eyes flaming with controlled fury. "Takeda, I would be quiet if I were you."

Soujiro grabbed onto Kenshin's arm and pulled him out of the room. "Himura-san, let's go."

Kanryuu's face that had a sardonic smile just a while ago stiffened. He had thought that Himura would have come after him at any second after saying such a comment, but his lack of action surprised him. Kenshin just seemed to stand there absent-mindedly as if he were shocked.

Could it be something that he said?

* * *

As the four of them came down the stairs, everyone in the room had a look of shock and horror written on their visages. Their gaze seemed to go towards the person in Sano's arms covered with blood. Sanosuke ignored them, worrying only about Kaoru's health and safety. He walked faster wanting to get out of Kanryuu's house and thinking that he had to get Kaoru to the hospital as soon as possible.

Soujiro followed Sanosuke and threw a look behind him to see Kenshin trailing a bit farther behind. His face was deathly pale.

"Are you okay, Himura-san?" Soujiro asked with worry. Kenshin nodded his head mechanically and started to walk faster.

When the four of them left, the commotion inside the house only seemed to get louder.

* * *

The inside of the limo was disturbingly quiet and only the sound of light breathing was heard. Sanosuke was sitting in the back with his arms around Kaoru's body. His eyes were full of worry as he watched her intently for any signs of discomfort.

"Aa . .yes, we'll be there in ten minutes." Soujiro hung up the phone as he finished the call to the hospital. He had called in advance so that the doctors could prepare for the operation. The young man looked over at Kaoru's limp form and sighed heavily. He clasped his hands together as he wished that she would be all right.

Meanwhile, Kenshin sat in the front with his eyes looking blankly at the road in front of him. For some reason the words that Kanryuu had said to him, struck some nerve.

_"Aren't you overreacting a bit? After all, it is just a master-servant relationship. Could it be . . that you have fallen in love with someone as lowly as her?"_

He looked in the rearview mirror and saw Kaoru. His eyes stirred for a moment and he quickly took his gaze away from her. Kenshin closed his eyes as he tried to banish the thoughts from his head.

* * *

The second they arrived at the hospital, Kaoru was rushed to the emergency room. Again the three of them were sitting outside waiting for news of how she was doing.

"Damn . ." Sanosuke tightened his fist and punched the wall. A dull sound reverberated inside the hallways of the hospital. Not being able to bear with the frustration that he had been building up inside of him, he walked over to Kenshin and pointed at him accusingly. "This is all your fault, Kenshin!! If you didn't treat her like some object from the beginning then nothing like this would have happened!"

Kenshin sat on the chair, unfazed by Sano's words.

Creased lines appeared on the spiky-haired man's forehead when he saw no reaction from Kenshin. "You . . how great of a being do you think you are? How could you have thrown her around like that? She's not some doll!" Anger only seemed to continue to rise in Sano as he remembered all the times he had seen Kenshin mistreating Kaoru in the earlier days.

The countless times where Kenshin had forced Kaoru to drink liquor.

The times when Kenshin had slapped Kaoru.

And the time when Kenshin had lost control and pushed Kaoru through the glass door.

Sanosuke's fingers began to tighten around one another into a fist as those scenes replayed in his mind. Those times he had been helpless to save her. And now . . and now . . she was back in the emergency room once again. He glared at Kenshin who sat in front of him and in a quick motion took a hold of the collar of Kenshin's shirt. He pulled him up from his seat by the collar and shook him to try to get some reaction. However, the red-haired man didn't seem to respond.

"Sagara-san! Get a hold of yourself!" Soujiro cried out in shock as he rushed over to the two of them. "Kamiya-san is inside there having an operation and we're all worried. Don't cause trouble."

Sanosuke narrowed his eyes and roughly let go of Kenshin's collar. "Forget it. You're not even worth it," he said gruffly as he looked at his friend who slumped back into the chair.

The spiky-haired man turned around and walked away towards the opposite end of the hall and slumped down on the floor. He brought his legs up to his chest and closed his eyes with both of his hands grasping his head in pain.

_What are you doing, Sano?_, he berated himself. _If only I didn't take my eyes off of Jou-chan, this would never have happened. If I searched for her when I couldn't see her around . . . if I could've found her sooner._

* * *

It was late at night. Sanosuke was sitting next to the bed where Kaoru was lying in and was lightly holding onto her hand with Soujiro sitting on the other side. Because it was such an exhausting day, the two of them had quickly fallen asleep once Kaoru was released from operation and put into a room. However, there was one person who was awake. Kenshin sat in the small room sinking into his own thoughts as he felt numb to everything that went on around him. His mind kept drifting to what Kanryuu had said to him earlier.

It was making him confused. He wanted to deny it strongly, but the more he denied it, the more it became engraved into his heart and only agonized him further. He looked up at the bed in front where Kaoru was sleeping soundly. The doctors had told them that a few of her ribs and her left shoulder were fractured. However, with rest she should be able to heal properly.

Kenshin clasped his hands together tightly as he closed his eyes. The sight of her hurt him. There were bruises all over her body and white bandages wrapped around her bosom and shoulder. He remembered Sano's words to him earlier.

_"This is all your fault, Kenshin!! If you didn't treat her like some object from the beginning then nothing like this would have happened!"_

It was his fault that she was in the hospital once again.

"Mmmm .. mm"

A pained moan flowed out of Kaoru's mouth. It was a small sound, but because the room was quiet Kenshin looked at her surprised. As he felt his heart subside from her thin moan, he got up and looked at her. He thought that she was going to wake up, but she went back to sleep. Kenshin sighed in relief and sat back down after making sure she was okay.

Soujiro, who had awoken from the sound, watched Kenshin secretly in surprise at his change in attitude towards Kaoru. After coming to the hospital, Kenshin had not reacted to anything, but he had gotten up in shock when he heard Kaoru's small moan. His friend also had a look of relief after checking that she was asleep. Soujiro's blue eyes looked interchangeably between Kenshin and Kaoru.

_Could it be that what Takeda said was . . true?_

-

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-

-

- To be continued

* * *

**Author's Notes :**

Please read and review! Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter. One note though in case you're wondering: No, Kaoru was not raped. Well, I should get the next chapter out soon.

_Sanosuke/Kaoru/Kenshin_

Yes, Sano likes Kaoru. And yes, there's a love triangle going on . . . well, it's in developing, or has it already developed? =)

Special thanks to Oni Tokage, HitokiriSky, Ryoga, Chikn, Eternal-Senshi-S, saotome, Crazyperson, De Lazy Lime, Lendra-chan, Sammi, Himura-chan, MizzLee, Vejitagurl, Mizu no Yami, Ochanoko, cyjj, Angel of loneliness, rkfan246, Kaoru4, Katherat, BabyKaoru-sama, Raeyn-chan, tintin-chan, samuraiduck27, RKfan86, Sugar-Crazy-Fox, Coodle, Boomerang-chan, Piper, Kitsune Kenshin, kik-ting, Chibi Kiki, kimi.the.water.spirit, nobody, bonessasan, Nekotsuki, ;) britty, cutie-chan-XD3, Falconess106, flaming-amber, psychotic-catster, Anonymous T, Kiichi Dazai, Mallory, Fuu, Reignashii, Angela Himura, Kaze Kitty, Nakashima-Michiyo, Sakura22, erica6060, Tenshi-no-Hana-chan, Mz. Amber Eyes, Kaleia, kate, Kaoru gal, tiaravball15, Inu N Kenshin Lovr, Charmed18, Katana Midori-Falling Shadow, Miaka, spike-faye, chibi frog, S3R3nity, AmayaSaria, and Serendy 4ever for reviewing! ::hugs:: thanks so much! ::passes out little Shinsengumi logo erasers::


	20. Healing

**

* * *

Disclaimer : **Rurouni Kenshin is the property of Nobuhiro Watsuki, Shonen Jump, Viz, and Sony Productions.

**Warning: **Rated 'R' for violence.

* * *

**Possession**

Donna8157

* * *

**Chapter 20 : Healing**

A soft and barely audible moan passed through her lips as Kaoru felt pressure weighing down on her body. However, she didn't have any strength left to lift even a finger. Her eyelids felt heavy and she wondered what had happened. She opened her eyes little by little with great difficulty as she tried to see where she was and what had taken place. However, she was only able to make out a blurry figure with red hair sitting next to her.

_Kenshin?_

She felt something cold and soft passed by her forehead. It was very cold, but rather than giving off a cold feeling, she felt warmth. She fell asleep once again as she felt comforted by the touch.

* * *

_Himura-san?_ Soujiro, who had woken up feeling a bit uncomfortable, saw Kenshin carefully wiping off the sweat on Kaoru's forehead. He did it with such gentleness that Soujiro just sat there and stared not wanting to interrupt the moment.

_Does Himura-san know what kind of look he has on his face right now?_

There was a quiet kind of love buried deep inside the man's lavender eyes while he was tending to Kaoru. His usually stoic face now looked livelier. He looked content. It was a look on Kenshin's face that Soujiro had never seen before.

* * *

It was almost morning by the time Kenshin started going home, he had stayed by the girl's side almost the entire night. With his head down low, Kenshin trudged up to his house quietly not wanting to wake anybody from their sleep. The main area near the stairs was silent except for the soft hum of the air conditioning system.

"Where were you baka-deshi?"

Hiko's booming voice startled Kenshin and the man stopped in his steps. The boy turned around and saw his father sitting with one of his legs propped upon his knee and a deep frown marring his usually flawless expression. He looked at the boy with his piercing brown eyes as he waited for him to respond.

"Father," Kenshin started still a bit surprised that Hiko was there. Had he stayed up the entire night waiting for him? He sighed as he continued, "Kamiya got hurt at Takeda's party earlier today and had to be sent to the hospital. I was there tonight along with Sano and Soujiro to look after her."

Hiko widened his eyes in surprise. This wasn't the response that he had expected.

"How did Kamiya get hurt?"

Kenshin knit his brows and suppressed the feeling of anger boiling within him as he remembered the scene that he had come upon to in that room. "Kanryuu . . Kanryuu and some others had beaten her until she became unconscious."

The older man shook his head sadly as he heard the news. "What are you going to do about Kanryuu then?"

The red-haired man clenched his fists until his knuckles became pale. In a strained voice he replied. "Nothing."

"Nothing?" Hiko arched a fine brow at hearing his son's response. This was unusual.

"Yes. Kanryuu's dad would only buy him out of any trouble with the police and if I did so, it would only bring more harm against Kamiya. Plus, I've given him fair enough warning not to do so again."

"I see . ." Hiko nodded his head in understanding as he looked at Kenshin's form with contemplation.

"I'm tired and I'm going to sleep. Good night." The red-haired man turned around and started walking towards the stairs.

Hiko watched his son's back quietly as he began to walk away. He still clearly remembered that day when he had found that little boy in the streets. Blood, dirt, and tears stained Kenshin's cheeks that fateful day. He looked pitiful and broken. But as time passed by slowly the boy grew and it wasn't until the girl had made an appearance when Hiko noticed that Kenshin began to soften. Looking at him from the couch, the older man opened his mouth.

"You've changed, Kenshin," his father stated.

Kenshin stopped in his tracks as he heard Hiko's words, but then quickly shook himself out of it and started walking up the stairs. The other man only watched quietly as the boy slowly retreated to his room.

* * *

_"You've changed, Kenshin."_

As Kenshin laid his head on the pillow, instead of finding sleep, only more thoughts seemed to rack his mind. Had he really changed that much? He clenched his hands as he looked up at the ceiling above him. So many things had happened in his past that he had found it hard to trust others. There were only a few that he had allowed in his life and even with them he felt a bit weary. His mind drifted to the one incident in his childhood that would forever embed itself in his mind.

_"Uncle Gohei, what's in the drawer?" a little boy asked as he tried to peer over his uncle's shoulder._

_Gohei grimaced as he closed it. He didn't know when the boy had crept into his room. "It's nothing."_

_"But I thought I saw you put something there!" the boy cried out. _

_"Why don't you go bother someone else, boy?"_

_"You're so mean, Uncle Gohei!" the boy retaliated._

_ Later that night _

_BANG! BANG!_

_The little boy, who was no older than seven, was knocked out of his dreamless sleep when he heard the jarring noise. He blinked his lavender eyes as he looked around. Feeling a bit frightened, he scurried out of bed with his teddy bear clutched in his small hands and ran to his parents' room._

_When he got to the door, he reached up and turned the knob._

_The first thing he noticed was the metallic scent that engulfed the room. He wrinkled his nose at the smell and ignored it as he ran over to the bed._

_"Daddy! Daddy!" the little boy called out as he shook the body. There was no reply. The boy furrowed his brows with renewed determination. "DADDY! WAKE UP!"_

_But there was still no reply._

Kenshin shut his eyes tightly as he remembered the image from his past. That night had haunted him in his dreams and still continued to do so. He tried to think of something else to take his mind off of these thoughts, but they continued to engulf him.

_"Sh-shinta!" A familiar feminine voice shouted towards the little boy. Shinta looked up and saw a woman huddled in the corner of the room with tearful lavender eyes and cheeks stained in red. _

_"Mommy?" The little boy rushed over to her side and furrowed his brows as he looked at his mother's pitiful state. "Mommy? Why are you crying?"_

_The woman looked up and her body seemed only to tremble even more with silent, forceful cries. _

_Shinta gently wiped some tears off of his mother's face. "Don't cry. Daddy is here. He'll make sure you don't cry." The little boy ran back to the bed and climbed onto it with difficulty. However, his body froze when he felt the warm, sticky liquid seep into his hands. With widened eyes he looked down and saw that a large red stain contrasted against the white blanket. "Daddy?" he questioned in an unsure tone. _

_The woman watched with her pupils trembling in fear. "Shinta stop! Please stop! Go away and hide!"_

_The boy looked up, confused. "Daddy . .he's not waking up."_

_More tears streaked down the mother's face and an unspeakable pain surged throughout her body. "Shinta . . I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Mommy is very sorry."_

_The expression on the child's face only seemed to grow even more perplexed. "Daddy. ." he called out as he shook his father's body once more. "Help mommy. Something is wrong with her." However, the father didn't respond. Shinta shook his head vigorously, he didn't want to believe what he saw in front of him. _

_"Sh-shinta," the woman hoarsely cried out as she willed herself to get up again. "Run away .. please . . before . ." _

_SLAM_

_Someone else had come into the bedroom. The little boy turned around and saw a tall, heavy muscled man with piercing brown eyes stare down at the boy. "Uncle Gohei?"_

_Gohei laughed. Shinta's eyes widened a bit in fear, he had never liked the man who was a distant relative on his mother's side. But . . why was he here in his parents' room when it was so late at night? It was then that he noticed the dark stains on his shirt and face. _

_Gohei looked down at the boy and smirked. "Shinta . . what are you doing out of bed?"_

_t save your father. ore. voice. h steady eyes and talked to him in a calm voice. ith fear. place. lking towards Shinta until he __The boy took a step back as he saw the malicious glint flash in the other man's eyes. Gohei chuckled as he saw fear reverberate in waves off of the little boy. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small army knife. The blade glinted underneath the pale moonlight. Gohei waved it back and forth menacingly as he continued walking towards Shinta until the boy was cornered._

_"You know Shinta . . you deserve to be punished for being awake so late at night," he said. Shinta tightened his clutch around his teddy bear as fear seemed to have frozen him in his place. He snuck a glance at his mother and saw her still huddled in the corner, shaking violently with fear. He wanted to call out to her, but he couldn't find his voice._

_"I think I'll have some fun," Gohei said with a smirk. He roughly grabbed the boy's chin and tilted it towards him. The boy squinted from the sudden jerk and shut his eyes in fear. Tears began to trail down his cheeks. Takayuki lifted the blade and carved one line onto his left cheek and then added the other creating an 'X'. The boy screamed from the sharp, searing pain. Small rivers of blood started to flow down from his face._

_"S-stop Gohei!!" A painful gurgle erupted from the woman's mouth._

_Gohei turned around and smirked. "What's wrong? You don't like what you see?" _

_The woman, seeing her child in danger, cast away her fear. She gathered up the last of her strength and rammed her head into Gohei. The man grunted as he fell over and let go of the boy. "I can't . . I can't watch you do the same thing to my son," she cried out as she looked at the man on the floor._

_Gohei narrowed his eyes in hatred as he reached into his pocket and took out the gun. It was the same gun that had killed Kenshin's father. The same gun that the boy had seen Gohei put in the drawer. When the woman saw it her eyes widened and she quickly threw herself onto the man biting his wrist until she felt her teeth hit bone. The man screamed in agony as he dropped the gun. It was clear who had the upper hand as the two people struggled with one another. Shinta watched helplessly as his mother was getting beaten. Blood covered her lips and face as each of Gohei's punches connected against her body. The young boy looked around and found his eyes staring at the gun Gohei had dropped. _

_He slowly walked over and picked it up. He cocked the weapon and aimed it at the man's leg as he squeezed the trigger. _

_BANG_

_The sound of the man's cry was deafening. Shinta watched in fear as he saw Gohei fall onto the floor. A pool of blood began to surround the area that was shot. _

_"Why you bastard!" Gohei screamed out as he reached for the boy. Thinking quickly, the mom got up and took the gun from Shinta's hands. She aimed it at his head and pulled the trigger. _

_BANG BANG_

_The man's arm that was reaching for Shinta now fell limply onto the floor. Right afterwards, the woman collapsed, her eyelids heavy with exhaustion._

_"Shinta . ."_

_Shinta looked at his mom with an expression of shock on his face. "Mommy . . mommy . ." he chanted as he looked up at his mother. _

_"Shinta . ." The woman looked at the boy with steady, sorrowful eyes and talked to him in a calm voice, different from before. "Shinta . . I'm sorry. I couldn't save your father. .It's my fault. I trusted Gohei and I allowed him to come into our house. I even secretly gave him money, but it wasn't enough. This . . this is my fault. Your father . . . your father . . I couldn't do anything to save him." She coughed and blood came up from her throat. The injuries that she had gotten were serious. During the fight, Gohei had used his dagger. It was too late for her. _

_"I'm sorry Shinta . ." Her eyelids fluttered to a close as she said her last words._

_The boy looked at his mom with numbness in his body. Everything that happened afterwards became hazy._

_t save your father. ore. voice. h steady eyes and talked to him in a calm voice. ith fear. place. lking towards Shinta until he ___

It was early next morning when Hiko Seijuro had found the boy asleep next to the trash can in the streets and took him back to his home in Kyoto without question. When he had discovered the boy's true identity, he had changed his name to Kenshin so that they could avoid the people whom the boy knew of in his past and move on.

* * *

"Say aaah .." Sanosuke had a spoonful of hospital gruel in his right hand and motioned it towards Kaoru's mouth. The girl watched with playful amusement in her eyes as the other made childish remarks chiding her to eat her food.

"I can eat on my own, sir," she said.

Sano frowned dejectedly as he heard her response and shook his head. "No, it's too hard for you jou-chan. Hurry and say aaah . ."

Kaoru chuckled a little, but then quickly stopped for the mere act started to bring pain in her chest area. Left with no choice, the girl sighed and opened her mouth. The spiky-haired man grinned widely as he fed her the food.

"I never thought I would see the day when the rooster-head would be feeding someone else and not himself."

The sharp feminine voice halted both Sano and Kaoru's movements and they both looked towards the door.

There stood a woman dressed in a white overcoat. Her dark hair was long, her eyes a clear brown color, and her rosy lips were tilted in a smile.

"Megumi?" Sano uttered in almost a whisper. He hadn't seen her since the beginning of high school.

The woman at the door nodded her head. "I'm surprised that someone who has such a small brain actually remembers my name. Ohohoho!" She brought a hand over her mouth as she chuckled mirthlessly at her own joke.

Sanosuke furrowed his brows as he stood up and faced her. "Oi! I don't appreciate that! Anyway, what are you doing here, fox? It's good seeing ya again." His cinnamon eyes softened and a smile appeared on his face.

"I-I'm shadowing the doctor who's looking after this girl. He wanted me to look in on her and see how she's doing." She was a bit surprised that he had not retaliated any further when she had made fun of him. It seemed as though he had become more mature since she had last seen him. But that wasn't possible . . at least not for him.

Megumi sighed and shook her head as she walked towards the patient's bed. She looked at the chart that she held in her hand and read through the data. Once she was finished scanning the test results, she looked up at Kaoru. "Kaoru-san, the injuries you've sustained seem to be healing quite well and in a few days' time you should be able to go back home."

Hearing the news, Kaoru nodded. "Thank you . ." The young patient paused as she tried to read the name on the pin.

"Takani Megumi," the woman interjected.

"Thank you, Takani-san."

Sanosuke's eyes lit up cheerfully as he heard the news and a broad smile appeared on his face. He looked over at Kaoru with relief in his brown eyes. If anything serious had happened to her, Sano knew that he wouldn't have been able to forgive himself. "Isn't that a relief, jou-chan?"

As Megumi watched the both of them, she couldn't help but wonder what the relationship between Sano and the girl was exactly. Could it be that the rooster head was actually serious about someone this time?

* * *

_ Later that day_

Soujiro let out a disappointing sigh as he folded the cards in his hand. "Maa .. I'm just not good at poker."

Sanosuke laughed as he pointed at himself with his thumb towards his chest. "That's because you don't have my gambling skills." He cocked a smug grin as he lay out the cards in his hand to show both Kaoru and Soujiro.

"Three kings and two aces."

A small smile crept onto Kaoru's face as she looked at his cards and then she lay down her own. A full house.

Sano's eyes widened and Soujiro let out a small chuckle. "What gambling skills were you speaking of now, Sagara-san?"

The brown-eyed man laughed uncomfortably as he quickly started to take back the cards and shuffle them once more. As he was doing so, he looked up at Kaoru who was leaning against the pillow on the bed. "How are you feeling there, jou-chan?"

The young woman looked up and a tender smile crossed her lips. "Fine. Thank you sir for keeping me company."

Soujiro shook his head helplessly as he looked at Sanosuke. The ridiculously goofy grin on his face while he was watching Kaoru smile was a bit too obvious. The young man couldn't help but wonder if Kaoru knew about Sano's feelings towards her.

"You look beautiful when you smile, jou-chan," he said sincerely as he looked at her.

Kaoru blushed not knowing what to say.

_Click!_

The door to the room opened and Kenshin walked inside. At that moment, his eyes met with Kaoru's blue eyes. She quickly looked down in embarrassment. Kenshin grimaced as he saw her reaction.

"I left my coat here last night. I just came to retrieve it. I'll be going back now." He stiffly walked towards the chair across from the bed and grabbed his coat.

"All right see you later, Kenshin. Soujiro and I will take care of everything here," Sano said with a half-hearted wave.

Soujiro looked across the bed and glared at Sanosuke. Then he got out of his seat, walked towards Kenshin, and patted him on the back. "Okay, Himura-san. You don't look too good anyway. Go home and get some rest."

Kenshin nodded weakly and glanced over at Kaoru once again. His lips began to move slightly, but when he saw that she was purposely ignoring his gaze he turned around and walked out of the room.

Once the other was gone, Soujiro looked over at Sanosuke with a rare disapproving frown on his face. "Sagara-san, what's wrong with you?"

Sano shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly while ignoring the other's gaze. "What did I do?"

The blue-eyed man sighed. "Forget it." He sat back in his chair as he picked up the cards in his hand once more.

Sanosuke tried to focus on the game at hand once again, but found his thoughts drifting to Kenshin. He knew that it was wrong of him to act so cold towards his best friend, but he couldn't help but feel that if Kenshin hadn't treated Kaoru like some sort of object in the beginning, this would never have happened. In some ways, Kenshin's attitude towards the girl was no better than Kanryuu's.

"Whose turn is it now?"

"Huh?" Soujiro's voice broke Sano out of his thoughts and he looked back up, almost in a daze. "I . . I think I want to get a drink." The other boy nodded as Sano got up and stretched. Sanosuke desperately needed some fresh air. He looked over at Kaoru who was shifting uncomfortably on the bed. "Can I get you something to drink, jou-chan? It'll be my treat," he said with a wink.

Kaoru shook her head. "No, thank you sir. I'm not feeling very thirsty."

Soujiro smiled. "Are you sure, Kamiya-san? It's not very often that Sagara-san will treat anyone."

A small smile appeared on Kaoru's face as she looked at the both of them. "No, really I'm fine. Thank you."

Sanosuke nodded reluctantly as he turned to walk out the room.

"Can you get me some soda, Sagara-san? Anything would be okay," Soujiro called out behind him.

Sano stopped in his tracks and turned his head a bit to look at his friend through the corner of his eyes. He began to laugh uncomfortably as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Umm. Soujiro do you have any extra change then?"

Soujiro's smile instantly faltered. "I thought you had enough since you offered to buy Kamiya-san a drink."

"Well, I have enough money for to buy jou-chan a drink, but I was going to borrow some money from you for my own."

A light twitch began to develop on Soujiro's brow as he looked at his friend.

The taller man laughed. "Eh .. just add it to whatever other money I owe you."

The other man sighed and nodded his head while waving for the other to leave. When Sanosuke had left, Soujiro turned to look at Kaoru with a serious expression on his face. "Himura-san . ."

The girl instantly stiffened upon hearing his name.

Soujiro noticed this, but continued. "Himura-san was worried about you a lot. He's the one that found you at Takeda's place. Last night he stayed by your side the entire night . . he wouldn't even let himself fall asleep. I just wanted you to know that Kamiya-san. Himura-san . . he's a little slow at expressing some things."

Kaoru sat there, her pupils slightly trembling upon hearing the news. She couldn't believe it. Kenshin .. he couldn't sleep because he was worried about her. Then she remembered the touch that she felt last night that had comforted her. _That .. that was Kenshin?_, she wondered in surprise.

* * *

_ Early evening that day_

_Knock Knock!_

"Come in." The door slightly opened and two people poked their heads inside.

"Kaoru-san!"

"Kaoru!"

Ryuuzaburo and Shura rushed inside the small room with worried looks on their faces.

Kaoru smiled upon seeing them. "Ryuuzaburo. Shura. You're here!"

Shura furrowed her brows as she looked at Kaoru's condition. Bandages were wrapped around her ribs and cuts and bruises could be seen throughout her body. "Are you okay now?" she asked cautiously.

"I'm a lot better."

"That's good," Shura replied. "We were going to come earlier, but we thought you'd be uncomfortable."

"That's okay."

"Why don't you guys sit down?" Sano called out as he motioned to the empty couch on the other side of the room. The two of them nodded and later all of them began to delve into a conversation about the events at school.

* * *

Those memories of the past kept Kenshin awake the entire morning and afternoon. He couldn't fall asleep. Back then when he thought of what happened, a resentment and hatred of his mother boiled within him. She had been the one that caused all of this. If she had never allowed Gohei into the house, his father and his mother would still be alive today. But then . . the main reason why Kenshin still held that kind of burden was because he wasn't able to protect them. A small tear fell from Kenshin's eyes as he thought of this. If he had warned them about the gun earlier then his parents would still be alive. In fact, when his mother was apologizing, the young boy felt too guilty to utter even a word. It was too late now. With a heavy heart, Kenshin sighed as he walked out of his room and began to aimlessly wander around the house.

He needed to clear his head.

He found his footsteps moving towards Kaoru's room before he realized it. As he walked in, he felt that the room had a cold and empty feeling since it hadn't been touched by the owner in a long time. The red-haired man silently looked around and then walked towards the bed. He sat down near the edge of the bed and reached over to open the drawer which held Kaoru's family picture.

As he held the photograph in his hand, he looked at the picture of Kaoru's family. They looked so happy, especially her. For some reason, looking at this picture brought some sort of comfort to him. He could even try to imagine that she was smiling at him.

_But she has never shown me her smile, _he thought to himself.

Kenshin felt a sharp pang in the depths of his heart. Whenever she looked at him, she didn't have that bright smile on her face, instead her countenance remained expressionless.

* * *

_ Back at __Kyoto __Hospital_

"We'll be going back now," Shura said as she got up from the chair.

"Take care of yourself, Kaoru-san and get some rest." Ryuuzaburo smiled as he waved good-bye. "I hope you can come back to school soon."

"Thank you for coming, Ryuuzaburo and Shura," Kaoru said with a thoughtful smile on her face.

"Be careful on your way home!" Sano called out as he watched the two of them leave. Once they left, Soujiro got up from the chair and went to get his jacket so that he could put it on. Sanosuke looked at him a bit awkwardly. "Are you going somewhere Soujiro?"

The boy turned around and looked at him with steady blue eyes. "It's time for us to go, too Sagara-san. Kamiya-san needs to get some rest."

Sanosuke sighed with disappointment as he turned over to look at the young woman sitting up in the bed. He went over to her and gently grasped her hand within his and patted it in a friendly manner. "All right, Mr. Smiley here says that we should go. Get lots of rest tonight and I'll be here early tomorrow morning, jou-chan. If you need anything, you can always call and I'll rush over, okay?"

Kaoru nodded her head in understanding and a soft smile appeared on her face. "Okay. Thank you, sir." Sano's smile broadened widely as he looked at her and for a moment he had forgotten that Soujiro was still in the room.

"Sagara-san . ." Soujiro warned as he looked at the both of them.

Sano blinked his eyes and quickly let go of Kaoru's hands as he stood back up. "Ahaha . ." he laughed uncomfortably, feeling embarrassed at himself. "I . . I'll see you tomorrow then, jou-chan." With a wave of his hand, he began to walk towards the door.

"Good night, Kamiya-san. I'll see you tomorrow also." Soujiro waved his hand good-bye as he followed the other out of the room.

"Good bye, sir."

When everyone left, Kaoru looked around the empty room and sighed softly. She was already missing their company.

* * *

Before leaving the hospital, Soujiro went over to the nurses' station to borrow the phone and dialed a familiar set of numbers. It rang three times before anyone picked up.

_"Hello?"_

"Himura-san? It's Seta-san. Something important came up so Sagara-san and I can't stay by Kamiya-san's side. Why don't you go to the hospital and take care of her? Bye." Before allowing Kenshin to respond, Soujiro quickly hung up the phone. _I hope you can use this time to straighten things out with Kamiya-san._

* * *

Kenshin stood there absent-mindedly with the cell phone still in his hand. Soujiro had hung up before allowing him even the time to confirm whether or not he could go. He shrugged his shoulders as he ended the call and made his way out the door.

It took only thirty minutes before the limo pulled up next to the hospital. Before stepping out of the car, Kenshin turned to the driver. "You don't have to wait for me. I'll spend the night here."

"Yes, sir."

Kenshin nodded his head as he got out. Once he closed the door, the driver watched until the young master had gone into the hospital before driving away. When the lavender-eyed man arrived in Kaoru's room, he saw that she was already peacefully sleeping. His feet softly padded across the floor towards the bed to make sure he would not wake her up. The white bandages could be seen through the girl's slightly opened patient's gown. Afraid that she would catch a cold, he gently pulled the blanket up to her shoulders and watched her sleeping form for awhile. As he looked at her, his eyes drifted to the light scar on her neck. It was so faint that he had not noticed it until now. He slowly reached his hand over to her neck and lightly touched it. Feeling the touch, Kaoru knit her brows and began to flutter her eyes open. Surprised that she had awakened, he quickly drew his hand back.

Kaoru drowsily looked up at the person next to her. As her eyes began to focus, she realized with a shock that it was Kenshin. She quickly tried to push herself up.

"It's okay. There's no need to get up." Kenshin gently put his hands on her shoulders so he could lay her back down in bed. A moment of silence followed as Kaoru lay there, unsure of what to do or what to say. That short period of time felt like an eternity for her.

"Are . .are you okay now?" Kenshin asked. He felt uneasy and a bit uncomfortable from the complete silence in the room.

Kaoru blinked her eyes as she tried to respond in a steady voice. "Yes . . sir. I will be released soon. I'm doing .. doing much better."

"That's good."

Kenshin locked his eyes onto hers. It felt as if time had stood still and neither could pull away from each other's gaze. Feeling the awkwardness, she quickly took her eyes away first. For a moment, she thought she had felt warmth in Kenshin's eyes.

-

-

-

-

- To be continued

* * *

**Author's Notes :**

Please read and review! It's been awhile since I had last updated, but I hope you enjoyed the chapter nonetheless. I hope Kenshin's past wasn't too confusing .. I had a lot of trouble with it .. I've changed a lot of it from what I had initially wanted to do in the beginning.

Listening to Vic Zhou – "Wo Hu Xi Ni"

Listening to Vic Zhou – "Make a Wish"

Special thanks to HitokiriSky, Mixy-chan, De Lazy Lime, kithana, Nekotsuki, Anime-Addiction, Coodle, kaoru gal, Ochanoko, Mademoiselle Anime, kik-ting, cyjj, Raeyn-chan, Crazyperson, Kaoru4, Inu N Ken Lovr, Angela Himura, tiaravball15, samuraiduck27, Angel of loneliness, Chibi Kiki, Ryoga, S3R3nity, tintin-chan, zoingy, Reignashii, ADC, Baby Kaoru-sama, rkfan246, Eternal-Senshi-S, rain angst, Shannon, Lendra-chan, nobody, Mika, saotome, Josh, Sugar-Crazy-Fox, Vejitagurl, AmayaSaria, Kitsune Kenshin, Serendy4evr, Spike-Faye, Oni Tokage, psychotic-catster, mz. Amber eyes, Himura-chan, Pandora Kattalikis, Miaka, ;) britty, legolasestelstar, andy, baka deshi, Mizz Lee, flaming-amber, Kuroi Tamashii, Katana Midori-Fading Shadow, glasclach, Sakura22, serenebeauty, Tenshi-no-Hana-chan, stranger, InuLimbo, erica6060, bonessasan, Violent Eyes, Jason, Falconess106, cutie-chan-XD3, AngelsAngel, chibi frog, and sc gurl for reviewing! ::hugs and passes out tanuki stickers::


	21. Confession

**

* * *

Disclaimer : **Rurouni Kenshin is the property of Nobuhiro Watsuki, Shonen Jump, Viz, and Sony Productions.

* * *

**Possession**

Donna8157

* * *

**Chapter 21 : Confession**

"Kamiya-san is back!"

"Are you okay now?"

"I was going to go visit you too, but . ."

As Kaoru stepped into the classroom, most of the students in the room started to gather around her. Kenshin walked past her without glancing at her and went to his seat in the back of the class. Kaoru couldn't help but look at him through the corner of her eyes.

* * *

_ Two hours later_

"We'll take our break now class," the teacher announced as he closed the Calculus book.

Kenshin got out of his chair as soon as the class ended and walked out the door. Kaoru watched his back silently as he left.

"Kamiya-san, tell us what happened that day .."

As soon as Kenshin had left the room, students began to swarm around her like bees attracted to honey.

"Yes, what's going to happen to Takeda-san?" another student asked.

Kaoru grimaced as she felt the onslaught of informal interrogations by her peers. She didn't want to tell them what had happened. In fact, she wanted to forget it. Standing up, she looked at all of them and said in a serious tone, "I'd rather not talk about it. Excuse me, I'm going to get some fresh air."

Before allowing anyone else to speak, Kaoru turned on her heels and walked out the door. She found herself unconsciously making her way to the stairs leading to the rooftop of the school. She needed to get away from all those students and whatever rumors they had spread while she had been absent. They were beginning to suffocate her.

As she stepped out the door, the blue sky seemed welcoming to her. She took a deep breath as she calmed her nerves and walked towards the railing. The fresh air outside slowly started to relieve her feeling of suffocation.

It was then that she felt someone tap her shoulder. Kaoru quickly turned around and saw Sanosuke standing behind her.

"When . ."

"I came up just a second ago." He looked around with a smile on his face. "I always feel better after coming up here." He stretched his arms up in the air as he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Then he looked over at Kaoru. "How's your arm doing, jou-chan?"

"It's much better, sir . ." she replied with a smile.

Sanosuke frowned. Kaoru saw it and she knit her brows in confusion. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"You still haven't fixed it. I thought you said that you would stop calling us 'sir'. It's really uncomfortable."

Kaoru bit her bottom lip and felt flustered by his observation. She could talk comfortably to Ryuuzaburo, Shura, and Misao, but strangely she couldn't seem to do that in front of Sanosuke or Soujiro. "I . ."

Sanosuke shook his head. "It's all right, jou-chan. But you know, it'd be really nice if you could call me by name instead."

Kaoru smiled a bit and nodded her head. Sanosuke had been so nice to her during the time that she had been with Kenshin. She should try to change that habit of hers at least for him. "Okay. I'll try to do that."

Sano grinned as he heard her response and leaned his arms on the railing. He looked out into the sky. "It's nice, isn't it?"

Kaoru looked over at him and a soft smile appeared on her face. She nodded her head in agreement as she observed the broad horizon around her. "Yes, it's very nice."

The two of them stood together in quiet companionship similar to that morning when the both of them watched the sun rise. Sanosuke turned his head sideways so he could look at her and found himself drawn in to the picturesque scene before him which he selfishly thought was even more beautiful than the landscape itself. Kaoru's head was tilted upwards as she admired the sky. The blueness of her eyes seemed to rival even that of the sky. Her long black hair seemed to have a life of its own as it blew behind her in the wind. At that moment, a strong breeze passed by and a few strands of the young woman's hair came in front of her face. Before Kaoru's hand went to fix it, Sano reached out first and gently tucked it behind her ear.

The girl looked up a bit surprised at the gesture, but smiled anyway unsure of what to say.

As Sanosuke looked at her, tenderness could be seen his eyes. He cupped her cheek with his hand gently. He remembered that day at Kanryuu's house when Kaoru had gotten beaten up so badly, almost to the point of death. He was truly afraid at that time. He didn't want to see it happen to her again.

"Jou-chan . . . I don't want to see you get hurt anymore . ." he said softly as he looked into her blue eyes.

Her sapphire orbs softened as she heard his thoughtful and kind words. "Thank you for caring about me . . back then it was also partly my stupidity. I shouldn't have left Himura-san's side or this . . "

Sanosuke sighed as he shook his head and interrupted her. "Stop giving excuses like that. I don't want to hear them."

Kaoru stopped talking and furrowed her brows as she looked up at her tall companion. The expression of playful anger in his face was quite comical and she let out a small chuckle. "Okay." But the next moment she looked up at him, the playfulness in his visage was gone and was replaced with a look of sincerity.

"Jou-chan . . that day . . I was so worried about you," he said brokenly. Unable to hold back his feelings any longer, Sanosuke walked towards her and pulled her into a strong embrace. Kaoru stiffened in surprise at the sudden hug.

"Jou-chan . . I . ." He paused not knowing what to say, but he just enjoyed having her in his arms no matter how short a period of time it would last.

_SLAM_

Sanosuke moved away from Kaoru at the sudden sound of the door. The girl also turned around, her expression showing vivid shock at who stood in front of her.

"Ken . .Kenshin . . ."

Kenshin stood in front of the door with a stiff face and his eyes gradually getting colder.

Kenshin's lavender eyes were fixated upon the scene before him just a few seconds ago. Sanosuke quickly dropped his head as he felt his friend's piercing gaze on him.

"I've been witnessing this scene a lot lately." A low voice flowed out of Kenshin's mouth as he looked pointedly at his friend. Sano quickly lifted his head up when he heard what the other had said and his face became incredibly red when he realized that Kenshin was referring to that night after he brought Kaoru home from the club. However, Kaoru looked between the both of them, confused about what Kenshin meant.

The red-haired man then turned his head to look at the girl. Kaoru felt a chill go through her bones as she received his hard stare. "Kamiya. Come here." He gestured towards the young woman to come near him. She hesitated for awhile and then slowly walked towards him.

"Kiss me."

Kaoru's eyes widened in surprise when she heard his wish.

Because Kaoru made no move to do what he said, Kenshin narrowed his eyes. "Didn't you hear me? I told you to kiss me!" he said in an oppressive tone of voice.

"Ken-Kenshin! What the hell are you doing?!" Sanosuke shouted, disbelieving of what the other had wanted the girl to do.

Kenshin looked at Kaoru with a disapproving glance. "What? Is it that hard to kiss someone?" His lips curled up as he studied her reaction. Kaoru's body was stiff and with eyes closed tightly, she walked up to him and carefully placed her lips on his. Superiority spread in Kenshin's eyes as he looked at Sanosuke. Meanwhile, Sano who had been looking at the both of them, quickly jerked his head the other way. He couldn't watch the scene before him. His hands tightened into a fist and started trembling with frustration and anger.

Once Kaoru's lips touched Kenshin's lips, she quickly backed away. As she did so, her face came into the man's view. He saw that the once confused look on her face had faded away and was now replaced with an emotionless one. His heart cringed in pain as he saw it. He took a step forward and grasped the back of her neck to pull her towards him. Kaoru opened her eyes wide in fear and shock at his sudden action. Then he roughly brought his lips to hers. She was about to push him away with both hands, but stopped. There was a different sensation this time when he kissed her. It was not like the time at the club. Instead of a dominating type of kiss, there was a faint quivering that was sent through his hands when they were grasping her neck and back. When Kenshin had realized that Kaoru stopped moving, he blinked open his eyes and looked at her. A nagging feeling of guilt and regret began to fill his mind. He quickly turned away from her and looked at Sano.

Kaoru looked at him with anger welling up inside of her, however she was still too stunned to do anything. What was that expression in his eyes just a minute ago?

"Next time, make sure I don't catch you." An unexpectedly quiet voice flowed out of Kenshin's mouth after a moment of silence. Kenshin ignored Kaoru's gaze and walked back down towards the classroom. The young woman absent-mindedly watched him walk away. She was about to go back down when she heard Sano's voice.

"I'm . . I'm sorry . ." He walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "But I . . I want you to know one thing." Kaoru turned around and looked at Sanosuke who had his head lowered. Then he looked back up with her with seriousness in his eyes that she had never seen before.

"Kaoru . ."

The girl's heartbeat quickened as she heard Sano call her by her first name. It was the first time he had done so. He was serious.

"Kaoru . . the reason I did that . ." He paused to take a breath. He clenched his hands together as he urged himself to go on. "The reason I held you like that . . it wasn't because I was curious and it wasn't a joke either. I . . I don't know when these feelings for you started to grow, but . . but . . I like you. I like you a . ."

At hearing Sanosuke's confession, Kaoru's blue eyes widened. She didn't know what to say because . . because she didn't know how to tell him that she didn't feel the same. She took a step back as she lowered her head. "I . . I . ."

Sanosuke saw her reaction and a surge of pain shot through his heart. He lowered his head unable to continue on with what he was going to say. In a heavy voice, still strong to mask the hurt behind them, he apologized. "I'm sorry . . I didn't want to give you a hard time."

". . ."

Seeing that Kaoru wouldn't respond, an ache began to develop inside of him. Would things now become different because he confessed those feelings to her? If it did, he wished that he could take back all the words that he had said. Every single one of them.

"I'm . . sorry . ."

Kaoru's saddened voice broke Sanosuke's thoughts. Hearing her rejection only seemed to reopen those fresh wounds. But then at the same time, he didn't want her to feel sorry for seeing him only as a friend. Gathering the last strings of his courage, he looked back up at her. A pained smile appeared on his face.

"Don't say sorry. I . . I was too forward about my feelings. Something had just come over me for awhile. Just forget . . just forget what I said today." He waved his hand nonchalantly as he turned around and shoved his hands in his pockets. He didn't want to face her right now, not when he was hurting this much. "I'll go back to class later . . why don't you go first . ."

". . ."

Sanosuke's hollow voice only seemed to give Kaoru more pain. She didn't want things to turn out like this, especially to someone who had always been by her side.

_Sanosuke .. I'm sorry. _She took one last look at his back and walked back down the stairs.

The door behind her slammed shut.

_Why?,_ he berated himself. _Sagara Sanosuke . . you should have held it in just a little more . . just a little more._ His fingers tightened around the railing while he shut his eyes tightly. However, one lone tear seemed to escape from his eyes.

* * *

Kaoru walked down from the roof lost in her own thoughts about Sanosuke and Kenshin.

"You must be better now."

A feminine voice brought Kaoru out from her contemplating and she stopped in her steps only to find Kaede in front of her. Kaoru narrowed her eyes and clenched her fists together.

"Kamiya-san," Kaede started in a melancholy voice. Kaoru, surprised by her tone of voice, slowly loosened up her muscles. "Kamiya-san . . I'm here to apologize to you for everything that we've done. I'm . . I'm sorry."

The blue-eyed girl looked at the other woman and saw that she was serious. There was a grave expression on her face as she talked to her.

"Kanryuu . . he'll never bother you again. I promise." Kaede lowered her head and clutched her hands in front of her. "Himura-san . . even though we had hurt you so much . . didn't press charges again Kanryuu."

Kaoru watched her silently. She wasn't sure if she could forgive them, at least not that soon.

Kaede looked up at her with slight desperation in her brown eyes. "Kamiya-san . . I know . . I know the things that we've done are unforgivable . . . and there's not enough apologies that I can give to discredit what we've done to you. But I hope . . that maybe in the future even if we can't become friends . . we can at least see each other and not hold any hard feelings."

Kaoru looked at her pitifully. Maybe in the future, but not now. The wounds were still too fresh. "I . . I don't know."

The other young woman nodded her head sadly as she heard Kaoru's response. "I understand." She looked at her wristwatch and saw that class was about to begin. "I must get going then." She was about to turn around when she remembered something.

"Oh and about Himura . . he's never been an open person and is inexperienced with his feelings. In fact this is the first time I've seen him care so much about another girl." She gave Kaoru a small nod of the head as if to further state the fact of the matter. "Well, I've got to get going. Bye." With a wave of her hand, Kaede walked away.

Kaoru watched her blankly as she left. What was she talking about? Inexperienced with his feelings? Caring about another person? She shook her head not being able to understand what it was she was saying and walked to class.

* * *

"Psst. Kaoru."

"Huh?" Kaoru turned her head in surprise as she felt someone poke her in the arm. "What's wrong?"

Shura gave her a steady look mixed with curiosity and worry. "Nothing's wrong. I'm just wondering what you're thinking about. You keep on looking at Himura-san with a blank expression on your face. Did something happen?"

Kaoru was taken aback by what her friend had just said. Was she really gazing at Kenshin for that long? "I . . nothing . ."

Shura looked at her suspiciously, but let the further probing of questions pass. "Okay."

The blue-eyed girl sighed as she turned to face the front of the room again and take the rest of the notes on the board. But as she was doing so, her mind kept drifting to the look on Kenshin's face earlier. The look of regret and guilt that had been on his face after he kissed her. It bothered her and because she was thinking of it she felt herself unconsciously finding her gaze move towards him. Kaoru looked to her side and saw the red-haired man listening to the music coming out of his headphones, his lips firm and eyes closed. The sky outside the window in the background and Kenshin's image complemented each other rather nicely and suddenly she felt an urge to touch his face. Kaoru quickly took her gaze away from him, shocked at the thought.

_What . .what am I thinking?_

Her heartbeat quickened and the pounding of it against her chest almost seemed deafening. What was wrong with her? She shook her head roughly and tried to drop the foolish thought.

-

-

-

-

-

- To be continued

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

This chapter came out much faster. I hope you enjoyed it and please leave a review at the end. I really, really want to thank all of you who have taken the time out to read this fanfic. It makes me glad that you guys like it. This is especially to those who have reviewed and expressed your thoughts and comments about the story. Thank you again! ::bear hugs to everyone::

As for this chapter, there wasn't exactly KK fluff, but they did kiss. =P

_Kenshin/Battousai:_

I've always felt that Kenshin/Battousai were one and the same, both of the same entity. That's why in the fics that I have written there is no distinguishing between the both of them. However, in this fic when his eyes turn amber, it's because he becomes extremely emotional/angered.

**GO ****USA**** !!!! **

Listening to "Horizon" from Rahxephon

Listening to "Fuhen" by Rin from ending of Samurai 7

Special thanks to Eternal-Senshi-S, Crazyperson, Tenshi-no-Hana-chan, kaoru gal, misakililin, flaming-amber, psychotic-catster, Angela Himura, Kaoru4, Vejitagurl, Ryoga, Nakashima-Michiyo, Hiten, bonessasan, coodle, Ariel, Mz. Amber Eyes, Mademoiselle Anime, Chibi Kiki, S3R3nity, Shizuka3, Anonymous T, Brittanie Love, Himura-chan, Legolas-Estelstar, Angel of loneliness, InuLimbo, samuraiduck27, rain angst, kik-ting, Vic'chonn, kimi.the.water.spirit, Baby Kaoru-sama, rkfan246, saotome, Boomerang-chan, spike-faye, Mika, Oni Tokage, cyjj, tintin-chan, erica6060, CrystallineLily, Katana Midori-Fading Shadow, nobody, AmayaSaria, andy, chibi frog, Mallory, tiaravball15, ;) britty, and Peachie-chan for reviewing! ::passes out a used cigarette courtesy of Saitou::


	22. Fallen

**

* * *

Disclaimer : **Rurouni Kenshin is the property of Nobuhiro Watsuki, Shonen Jump, Viz, and Sony Productions.

* * *

**Possession**

Donna8157

* * *

**Chapter 22 : Fallen**

"And so the answer is . . Kamiya-san?" The teacher turned his head away from the board to look at the class and waited for an answer to the Calculus problem from Kaoru.

"Kamiya-san," the teacher addressed once more since there was no response from the girl.

Kaoru felt someone nudge her in the shoulders and she quickly looked up from her book. Her teacher was looking at her through his spectacles with beady dark eyes. Alarmed, she shot a look at the problem on the board. It was another one of those logarithm examples that she hadn't completely grasped although she had studied it the night before.

"Umm . ."

"X equals 93.2."

Kaoru heard Kenshin answer the question. The teacher, too, seemed surprised that the boy had participated in class.

"Yes, that's correct Mr. Himura. Now as I was saying . ." The Calculus teacher started to point out more examples to the class on the board and through graphs on the overhead. However, instead of focusing on the lecture, Kaoru found her eyes drifting over to the young man. He was sitting there with his arms crossed in front of his chest, his body leaning back against the seat, and his eyes closed. She looked away and tried to concentrate on the Calculus lecture at hand, but she found herself not being able to concentrate. Throughout the entire day, Kaoru's head had throbbed with pain from all the complicated thoughts from earlier that day on the rooftop. She wondered how she was able to bear with it until the last class.

_ At the end of the day_

_BRRRRRING_

The last bell of the day finally struck and students rushed out of their respective classrooms. The halls were crowded with people pushing to make their way outside or to their lockers.

"Uh!"

Someone had bumped into Kaoru as she was walking down the hallway. Kenshin, who was walking next to her saw what happened and reached out his hand to support her so that she wouldn't fall. As the woman felt his hand on the small of her back, she quickly took a step to the side. The place where Kenshin had placed his hand felt hot.

"I'm okay sir," she said as she looked down on the ground, her face red.

Kenshin nodded his head, stuck his hand into his pockets, and acted ambivalent. Quickening his pace, he walked out of the building first.

* * *

"Himura-san! Kamiya-san! Over here!" Soujiro waved his hands up in the air as he saw both Kenshin and Kaoru walk out of the school building. Sanosuke stood next to the young man with a melancholy expression on his face, he looked away when he saw the two of them.

When Kenshin was within an earshot's distance of hearing, Soujiro walked over with a large smile on his face.

"Himura-san, since Kamiya-san has just . ."

Kenshin didn't seem to have paid any attention to him and continued walking forward. The blue-eyed boy watched a bit taken aback by his friend's behavior.

"Did something happen to Himura-san? Why is he acting like this again?" he wondered out loud as he traded a glance between Sanosuke and Kenshin. The boy had noticed Sano's odd behavior after coming back to class and wondered what had happened, however seeing that the red-haired man was also acting like this piqued his interest.

Kaoru saw Soujiro's contemplative glance and her face paled incredibly. She didn't know what to say.

"Kamiya-san?" Soujiro asked when he saw her reaction.

Sanosuke looked up when he heard the concern in Soujiro's tone. When he saw how troubled she looked, he instantly became worried. He hoped nothing had happened to her because of him.

"Kamiya-san?" Soujiro repeated.

Kaoru looked up from the ground, a bit dazed from her thoughts. "Aa .. sorry, sir. I've got to go." Without giving them any further explanations, she walked off towards Kenshin.

A bit perplexed, Soujiro turned over to his tall friend and studied him carefully. "Sagara-san, you have some explaining to do."

* * *

_A little later_

Soujiro sat on the ground next to Sanosuke near the tree as he heard what had happened that day. After listening to the story, he sat there in silence.

"Sagara-san . ." the blue-eyed boy started in a low voice after a long while as he continued to look on the ground. The other didn't respond, but continued to stare out into space. Soujiro looked over at his friend with sympathy. Sano's shoulders drooped and his eyes seemed to be filled with regret and guilt.

"Sagara-san . . I had an idea about your feelings towards Kamiya-san . . but . ." Soujiro tightened his hands together as he continued. "But what did you think you would accomplish by telling her your feelings? Did you think she would be happy and return your feelings? As much as you and I don't like it . . Kamiya-san . . . . belongs to Himura-san."

Hearing Soujiro's words, Sanosuke clenched his teeth and looked away.

After a long while, Sano finally spoke up again. "I know . ." he said in a defeated voice. "I . . don't know why I did that, but as I looked at her face . . I couldn't hold it in anymore. When I had come back to my senses, it was already too late."

Soujiro let out a disheartened sigh as he looked at how much pain his friend was going through. He didn't know how to respond to him, there was nothing that he could say that would make him feel better. So for the moment, the two of them just sat there in silence.

* * *

Kenshin emptied another shot glass. He couldn't endure the feelings and emotions that were clouding his mind. Even after he emptied shot glass after shot glass, his mind only seemed to become clearer. The taste of alcohol began to feel numb on his tongue and his hand that was holding the glass started to tremble. The image of Kaoru appeared in his mind once more.

Kaoru who had avoided his hand that day when he reached out to help her. That expressionless face of hers whenever she looked at him. Those thoughts agonized Kenshin's feelings to a degree he couldn't understand.

He tightened his grip on the shot glass and threw it against the wall.

_CRASH_

The glass shattered as it made a clamorous sound. The residual drops of alcohol left in the glass stained the wall and was slowly dripping down onto the floor. As Kenshin looked at the broken pieces of glass, he was reminded of himself. Something that was broken.

"Are you . ."

Kaoru opened the door to Kenshin's room when she had heard the sudden noise. The pungent scent of alcohol oscillated within the confines of the room and she wrinkled her nose in disgust. The young woman looked over towards the corner of the room at the table and saw that there were two empty bottles of hard liquor. Kenshin was sitting next to it in the chair and looking at the wall with bloodshot eyes.

Kaoru's blue eyes widened in worry as she saw the sight and hurried over to the wall to pick up the broken pieces of glass. Her heartbeat quickened when she felt his gaze on her from behind. She hurriedly gathered up the scattered glass and threw it away in the trash can.

A callous smirk appeared on Kenshin's face as he thought of the position that he was in. He looked at her bent form as she was putting away the pieces of glass. _The reason that you came rushing towards me . . that look of worry in your eyes . . it's all because of the master-servant relationship that we have. That bright look that you have in your eyes when you're with other people always seems to disappear when you see me. Is that . . is that because of the relationship that we have? Can our relationship never become ordinary?_

Because of the combination of those thoughts and drunkenness, Kenshin began laughing. Kaoru stopped picking up the glass and turned around when she heard his laughter. Kenshin had his head bent back and was chortles of broken laughter erupted from his mouth.

"S-sir?"

Kenshin's maniacal laughter suddenly stopped and he looked at her with his bloodshot lavender eyes. "That's right. Why should I feel like this? I should have known that this was the kind of relationship that we had since the beginning. You . . you always obey my orders without a word. Why should I be troubled by that? It's just a small problem . . I . ." Kenshin's words began to slur together as he started walking towards Kaoru.

The young woman's throat felt dry as he came closer to her. She was confused and the words that he had just said made no sense to her. What did he mean? She turned her head not able to look at his eyes any longer.

"I'll be going, sir."

"Go? Where?" Kenshin's eyes grew wider and he rushed in front to block her way. Kaoru looked up at him once and then quickly dropped her head back down again, the intensity in his eyes was one that she had never before seen.

"Did I say you could go? You're going to go even though I didn't give you permission?" He reached out, roughly grabbed her chin, and tilted it up so that their faces were only a few centimeters apart. As he did so, he could see her sapphire blue eyes that were slightly trembling behind her bangs.

His brows furrowed with pain from the unspoken rejection. _Why do you have eyes that look like you've been hurt? Are you that afraid of me? _He frowned and tightened his grip on her chin. Kaoru shut her eyes tightly, however that only deepened Kenshin's frown. _Does it really not matter to you what I do? _His eyes grew cold and his hand started to tremble. He roughly grabbed the collar of her shirt and violently threw her onto the bed.

Kaoru let out a small scream of surprise as she felt the wind rush out from her lungs when she hit the mattress. She tried to push herself up with her arms, but found herself being pinned down by Kenshin's hands. He pressed his body against hers almost painfully as one of his hands roamed up to her thigh.

Blue eyes widened at the intimate contact and she looked up at him in panic. His eyes had turned a shade of lavender with swirls of amber. It was almost as if they were on fire. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight and her heart began to beat at a faster pace.

"S-sir . ."

Her words were stopped with Kenshin's lips. In fright, Kaoru gathered her strength and tried to push him away, but it was too late. It was long since he had lost control of himself. His hand traveled up from her thigh to the front of her blouse and he began tugging at the buttons in front.

One by one the buttons flew off from her shirt, revealing the undergarments underneath. Kaoru pushed him away in shock, but he pinned her down even more so that she couldn't move. There was nothing that she could do. She shut her eyes and her body grew deathly still. Small tears began to trickle down her cheeks.

Feeling the sudden wetness, Kenshin froze. He slowly disengaged himself from her and looked at her face cautiously, he was almost afraid to see what he would find there. He had hurt her again. Kenshin took a step back and lifted up his hands. He gazed at them with a blank expression on his face. _What . . what am I doing? _His pupils began to shake intensely as he realized what had just happened.

"No . . no." Kenshin continuously took steps back until his back hit the wall. He grabbed onto his head with his hands and slid down against the firm backing. He felt disgusted and disillusioned with what he had just done. _What . .what was I thinking? Look at what you did to Kaoru . . . Himura Kenshin . . couldn't you even control your feelings? _His hands fisted together against his head as he reprimanded himself.

Kaoru slowly sat up and looked over at him. His head was bent down in shame as he sat huddled next to the corner of the room. She had never seen him like this, he looked like a small child who had been hurt. She got up and made her way towards him. Even though Kaoru was standing next to him, Kenshin couldn't feel her presence. He was too guilt-ridden at his actions towards her.

Seeing him in such a state, Kaoru carefully reached out her hand and placed it on his shoulder. Kenshin slowly lifted up his head. His lavender eyes widened when he saw her face. That cold look in his eyes had disappeared and was replaced with saddened ones.

"S-sorry . . . I . . ." Kenshin's hoarse voice flowed out from between his lips.

Kaoru pulled him towards her without a word. She didn't want to see him in such a pitiful state. He looked better when he acted aloof and arrogant in front of her no matter what he did. This feeble side of Kenshin only made her feel sorry for him. As Kenshin leaned his head on her, Kaoru felt drops of warm tears soak into her torn shirt.

- To be continued

* * *

**Author's Notes :**

Thanks for reading this chapter. Reviews would be very much appreciated. Thanks very much! I know this was a bit of a shorter chapter than the previous ones, but it was a very important one.

Special thanks to Katana Midori-Fading Shadow, flaming-amber, saotome, Athena, Angela Himura, Mademoiselle Anime, Catrina3, samuraiduck27, Peachie-Chan, Mz. Amber Eyes, InuLimbo, S3R3nity, bonessasan, nobody, Jupiter's Light, AmayaSaria, Chibi Kiki, Sakura22, kodaku, Crazyperson, Mika, Tenshi-no-Hana-chan, De Lazy Lime, psychotic-catster, tintin-chan, kaoru gal, sc gurl, Jared, Anonymous T, Shenyu, legolasEstelstar, Mallory, erica6060, rain angst, HitokiriSky, BabyKaoru-sama, Falconess106, serenebeauty, ;) britty, Child-of-the-Dawn, Kenshen, Shizuka3, Boomerang-chan, Yukipchan, Oni Tokage, pyramidgirl89, Shinta-Fan, MizzLee, cutiechanXD3, yuppers, kik-ting, and Sugar-Crazy-Fox for reviewing!


	23. As Equals

**

* * *

Disclaimer : **Rurouni Kenshin is the property of Nobuhiro Watsuki, Shonen Jump, Viz, and Sony Productions.

* * *

**Possession**

Donna8157

* * *

**Chapter 23 : As Equals**

_The next morning_

"Mm . . water . ." Kenshin groaned and he slowly blinked his eyes open against the blinding sunlight that filtered into his room. As he moved his hand, he felt something soft between his fingers. _Hair_, he realized. _Wait . . hair? _His lavender eyes widened in shock when he glanced over and saw who it was lying next to him. Kaoru. Had she slept next to him the entire night? Kenshin quickly shot out of bed. He regretted it as soon as he did because a splitting headache came at him in full force because of the large amount of alcohol that he had consumed the other night. One by one everything that had happened yesterday came back to him. His actions towards Kaoru . . . his tears on her shoulder. As he remembered it, Kenshin's face turned a bright hue of red.

It was then that Kaoru began to slowly open her eyes, Kenshin's movements in bed had woken her up. The young man froze when he saw her and had no idea what to do or what to say so he just stood there awkwardly.

"Y-You're up, sir?" Kaoru asked as she sat up and looked at him with a serious expression on her face. Looking around, she realized that she must have fallen asleep while looking after Kenshin the other night.

"I . ." Kenshin's face turned red and quickly looked away as he pointed towards her chest.

Kaoru looked down and had forgotten that her shirt was ripped. A crimson blush stained her cheeks as she hurriedly closed up the front of her blouse.

"Yesterday . . I . ." His head hung low as he struggled to finish his apology. "I . ."

"Y-you should get ready to go to school, sir," Kaoru interjected quietly as she slid out of bed. Kenshin slowly lifted up his head and turned to look at her. Unexpectedly, there was a soft expression on her face as she looked at him.

At a loss for what to say, Kenshin just nodded his head.

As Kaoru turned away from him, a faint smile rose on her lips. She walked over to the closet and pulled out the shirt, jacket, and tie for him to wear to school. She was about to help dress him when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up.

"You can stop. I'll do it."

"No. I'll . ."

"No," he said as he took the clothes from her hands. "From now on, I'll do this kind of stuff on my own. You don't need to worry about it anymore." The voice that came out of Kenshin's lips was not a command, but a soft voice that sounded almost like a favor. He looked at her and his lavender eyes softened. _From now on, I want to stand at an equal position with you. _

Kaoru stood there a bit shocked by the kindness that she heard in his voice. "I . . okay, sir," she murmured as she turned around and left the room. The red-haired man watched her until she disappeared behind the door.

* * *

Kaoru let out a deep breath that she didn't know she had been holding as soon as she went inside her room. She walked over to her bed and sat down with relief while placing a hand on her forehead.

_Mou, how did I fall asleep in his room? _Her face turned red as she remembered seeing Kenshin's face in the morning when she woke up. Luckily, she had enough wits to act normally. After allowing herself a few minutes to regain her grounding, she got up and started to get changed into the school uniform. As she was changing, her thoughts drifted to what had transpired that night.

_Flashback_

Kenshin's apologies and silent murmurings that had seemed endless finally stopped when he had fallen asleep in the comfort of Kaoru's arms. The young woman looked over at him and felt surprisingly relaxed with the young man in her arms. Making sure not to wake him up, she began to gently lift him up onto his feet and laid him on his bed. After placing the blanket over his body, she looked at his face carefully for the first time.

"Mmm . . s-sorry . ." the young man whispered through his sleep. "I'm sorry . ."

Kaoru looked down at him and her eyes turned into a sorrowful blue shade. "Ssh . . It's okay," she whispered as she brushed back a few strands of loose red hair from his face and sat down next to him on the mattress.

As if hearing her words, Kenshin stopped and fell back into a peaceful sleep once more.

A small sigh escaped from Kaoru's lips when she watched him. She found her gaze shifting towards Kenshin's cross scar on the left-side of his cheek. For some reason, it seemed to draw her attention. She still had no idea how he had gotten it or when it had happened. Her eyebrows crinkled in concern while watching him. She reached out her hand slowly and moved it close to Kenshin's face. Very carefully, she placed the tips of her fingers on his cheek and lightly traced the scar.

Kenshin's face cringed as soon as he felt her touch. Kaoru quickly took her hand away and held her breath while watching his face, afraid that he would wake up again. After a few minutes, she realized that he was going to continue to sleep. She let out a breath of relief and was about to turn around to get out of bed when she felt something catch onto the hem of her shirt.

Kaoru looked down and saw that Kenshin's hand had grabbed onto it. She reached down so that she could gently pry his hand off, but his grip only tightened.

_Mou_, Kaoru sighed and sat back down. It was not long afterwards that she too fell asleep.

_End Flashback_

As Kaoru remembered the events from the last night, a small ghost of a smile graced her lips. Realizing it, she shook her head and quickly finished getting herself ready to go to school.

* * *

_KNOCK KNOCK_

"Come in."

Kaoru walked into the room when she heard Kenshin's response from inside. When she opened the door, she found Kenshin putting on his tie. She walked over to him and started to help him. Instead, he slightly pushed her hand away so that he could do it himself. Kaoru, who had nothing to do, stood in front of Kenshin and stared at his actions.

_Why is he acting like this?_, she wondered.

As the young man thought of Kaoru's sapphire eyes looking at him, he found himself not being able to move his hands as naturally. When the woman saw him fumbling with the tie, she reached out her hand again and started to put it on for him. Unknowingly, her lips slightly curled up as she thought about how he looked when he was acting so flustered.

And Kenshin didn't see it.

* * *

Soujiro stifled a yawn as he got out of his car and took out his backpack. Slinging his book bag over his shoulders, he turned to lock the car door. He was about to walk into the school building when he saw a familiar limousine pull up to the front. Soujiro's blue eyes widened in surprise as he recognized the two people that got out.

"Himura-san! Kamiya-san! You two are here earlier than usual," Soujiro exclaimed as he waved and walked towards the limousine.

"Yeah."

At hearing Kenshin's voice, Soujiro stiffened and thought himself in an illusion of some sort. His friend's voice seemed to be mixed with high spirits. He looked suspiciously over at his two friends and saw to his utmost surprise that Kenshin was taking the backpack from Kaoru's hands.

"I'll carry it."

Soujiro and Kaoru watched in silent befuddlement while Kenshin began walking into the school with the book bag in his hands. The two followed behind a little afterwards.

_Himura-san seems to be treating Kamiya-san better now. That's good_, Soujiro thought to himself. His gaze shifted to Kaoru who was walking next to him. The neutral expression that would usually adorn her face as she looked at the other man had become noticeably softer. The tense mood that had once been between them seemed to have changed overnight. As Soujiro continued to study the both of them, he noticed a red mark on Kaoru's neck. The boy stopped in his tracks and quickly turned away with his face red with embarrassment.

Hearing Soujiro's footsteps come to a halt, Kenshin turned around with a confused expression on his face. But when he realized exactly what Soujiro had seen, Kenshin's face turned a similar shade of crimson. He quickly walked over to Kaoru's side and put an arm around her neck to hide the tell-tale spot. The young woman looked between the two of them, not sure what was going on. As she looked up at Kenshin and saw how red his face was at the moment, she instantly understood.

_The kiss from yesterday, it must have left a mark._ Kaoru's face turned crimson with embarrassment. She put her hand on her neck and rushed to the bathroom with her head down low.

Soujiro stared at Kenshin who was standing next to him. When Kaoru was finally out of sight, the blue-eyed man turned over to his friend.

"Himura-san . . if you hurt Kamiya-san in any way, I won't forgive you."

"I won't hurt her," Kenshin replied assuredly. He turned around and walked away quickly to class without giving a second glance at his friend.

Soujiro watched as the other left. _What happened between them? What will Sagara-san do when he finds out about it? _The boy sadly looked towards the side as he shook his head. With a sigh, he began walking to his own classroom.

* * *

_Lunch Time_

"Did you get hurt again, jou-chan?" Sanosuke asked with worry. The four of them had gathered together during lunch and had just sat down when Sano noticed the band-aid on Kaoru's neck. Kaoru's face suddenly turned crimson and she automatically lifted her hand to cover the spot on her neck. Her blue eyes looked downward, afraid to meet the other's gaze. Kenshin's face also began to glow a shade of red, however the spiky-haired man didn't seem to notice. Sano was at the moment too concerned about the girl's state of being.

_Cough, Cough_

Soujiro started coughing when he heard Sanosuke's unexpected question. He began to pound his chest as if he had some food lodged in the wrong tube. The brown-haired man turned around and quickly passed him a glass of water. Soujiro "calmed" down once he drank a few gulps of the refreshing liquid.

Heaving a sigh, Sanosuke turned his attention back to the girl who sat across from him. "Jou-chan . . why is there a band-aid on your neck?"

_Cough, Cough_

Soujiro began his coughing fit once more when he heard the question.

The tall man shook his head and pat Soujiro's back until his coughing stopped. "Soujiro, what's wrong with you today? Can't you even drink water properly?"

The blue-eyed boy returned an innocent smile as he scratched the back of his head, unsure of how to respond. Luckily however, because of his coughing, the answer to why the band-aid was on Kaoru's neck was left unanswered.

_What will happen next?_, Soujiro wondered with worry as he thought about how the situation would unfold from now on.

* * *

_At the end of the school day_

_BRIIIING_

The last school bell of the day resounded throughout school and students flocked out from their classrooms ready to go home for the weekend. Hearing the final bell, Kenshin got out of his chair and walked over to Kaoru's desk.

"Let's go."

"Yes, sir."

The young man waited for Kaoru to get up and then they walked out of the room together. Students remaining in the classroom looked at each other in surprise and began whispering amongst themselves. The way that Kenshin talked and treated her had become noticeably softer.

"Hey . . did you just see that?"

"Is that really Himura-san?"

* * *

"Sagara-san, what are you doing? Aren't you going to go?" Soujiro tapped Sanosuke on the shoulder when he saw the other sitting in his desk staring absent-mindedly into space.

"Huh? Oh. Let's go," Sano said as he was brought back out of his thoughts. He began to hurriedly gather his bags and books while avoiding his friend's worried blue eyes.

Soujiro watched him with concern, he wondered if Sanosuke was thinking about the incident at lunch. Maybe he did know what was going on and that was why he never questioned Kaoru further. _Sagara-san…I know it's painful to bear, but I hope you know you have other friends around you._ As the two of them were about to walk out the room, Sanosuke turned over to his shorter companion.

"Oi, guess who I saw that time at the hospital," Sano said as he slung his backpack over one of his shoulders.

Soujiro raised one of his brows in an inquisitive manner. "Who?"

"The fox."

The blue-eyed young man furrowed his brows in confusion, but after a few seconds realized who Sanosuke was referring to. "Ah . . you mean Takani-san?"

"Yeah."

"Takani-san has been volunteering at that hospital for the past two years now."

"Eh? How'd you know?"

"I went there some time ago to fetch some bandages for Shishio-san and ran into her."

"Oh."

"Oh and Sagara-san, Makimachi-san just informed that she was planning a surprise party for Kamiya-san for her release from the hospital. She wants to have it at your place tomorrow," Soujiro told Sano as he smiled sheepishly.

Sanosuke's mouth dropped open in surprise. "What? The weasel girl just volunteered my place for another party?" He crossed his arms in front of his chest as he let out a sigh of discontent.

Soujiro chuckled. "Maa, maa Sagara-san. Your place was the most reasonable choice. Shinomori-san also seemed to agree with her decision."

Sano shook his head in defeat. "Fine, but tell the ice man that he's the one that's buying food and drinks this time around."

The shorter man looked up skeptically at his friend. "And you were the one that bought them last time?" he asked in a sarcastic tone. "If I remember right, you still owe me money for that, Sagara-san."

"Oh . . well . ." Sanosuke sputtered trying to find something else to say while they walked along the hallway.

Soujiro sighed. Some things would just never change. "Sagara-san . ." he started, but then stopped when he realized that Sanosuke seemed to come to a stand still in his tracks. He looked up and at that moment he saw Kenshin and Kaoru pass by the door.

His brown eyes gazed downwards as soon as he saw the both of them. Luckily, Kenshin and Kaoru didn't see them and Soujiro made no motion to greet them. When they were out of sight, the taller man turned to his friend.

"I've got some things to do, Soujiro. I'll see you tomorrow," Sanosuke said with a wave of his hand as his footsteps increased in pace. He left walking in the opposite direction.

* * *

They were definitely hiding something from him.

Sanosuke had felt it during lunch time. _Jou-chan wouldn't answer my question . . . and Soujiro seemed to pretend to cough to distract my attention from her. What's going on?_ He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't see the other person that was walking towards him until it was too late. They had run into one another.

"Sanosuke!" Megumi uttered partially in surprise. Her brown eyes later narrowed as she regained her bearings. "Why aren't you looking at where you're going?! I thought even rooster-heads had more sense than that."

"Che. Well, if you had been watching where you were going, fox, you wouldn't have run into me either."

"Hmmph. Anyway, how is Kaoru-san doing?"

At the mention of Kaoru's name, Sano's shoulders slumped a little, but the other woman did not take notice. "Uh . . she's doing fine. Thanks for taking care of her that time in the hospital."

Megumi's lips curved up as she shook her head. "Of course, it's my job. However, I still wonder what a female of the same species would ever see in a guy like you."

Sanosuke stiffened when he heard the comment and this time Megumi noticed his reaction. However, he quickly shook it off. "Yeah . . well, jou-chan is just a friend." He tried laughing off the feeling, but it still remained.

The woman raised an eyebrow as she heard his response. This was not like the usual flirtatious Sanosuke she had known since ninth grade and seeing his reaction made her feel a bit guilty for what she had just said. "You know . . I wasn't being serious when I said that," she said in a low voice.

Sanosuke cocked a sly grin as he heard her. "Really fox? Then tell me what is it that you see in me?"

Megumi became flustered at his sudden question and turned away from him so she could avoid his eyes. "Wh-what? Nothing of course."

"That hurt, Megumi."

The woman shook her head, feeling a bit awkward at the turn in their conversation. She looked down at her watch and saw how late it was getting. "Well, I've got to do some errands. Maybe I'll see you some other time."

"Yeah," Sano replied as he turned to continue on his way, but then quickly looked back when he remembered something. "Oi fox!"

Megumi stopped and turned around as she waited for the other to continue.

"Misao wants to throw jou-chan a surprise party tomorrow for her release from the hospital and I'm sure she would appreciate it if you would come."

A smile crossed the woman's lips as she nodded her head in response.

"We'll see you tomorrow then," Sanosuke said with a wave of good-bye and started walking the other direction.

* * *

The moment Kenshin walked into his house, he knew something was amidst. Misao was standing near the door with apologetic eyes when she saw both he and Kaoru enter.

"Himura-san, your mother wants to see you in her study," Misao said sympathetically.

Kenshin looked up a bit surprised by the request, but nodded his head as he trudged up the stairs toward his mother's room. When he arrived at the door, he heard his mother call out to him from within the room.

"Kenshin, is that you? Please come in."

The young man sighed, he wondered what exactly his mother would want to discuss with him that was so important. He turned the doorknob and stepped inside. His mother was standing next to the window with her arms crossed in front of her chest, wearing a light rose business suit. As always, his mother seethed elegance.

"Mother?"

The woman turned around, her hazel eyes flashing. "Is that how you address your mother?"

Kenshin smirked ruefully. "I mean . . good afternoon, mother."

A smug smile adorned Mrs. Seijuro's lips as she tilted her head up. "That's better, dear. Now, what is the business with this girl? I hope that you're finding her useful."

His jaw tightened as he heard her mother referring to Kaoru in such a way, but he held it in and smiled. "Yes, thank you."

"Hmph. Personally, I just cannot understand why your father did such a thing. That . . _that thing_ is definitely not worth three million. Sometimes I just wish that I was never put into this damned arranged marriage. "

The mother let out a sigh of regret as she shook her head. She waved her hand nonchalantly towards her son signaling for him to leave her alone.

"Good bye, mother," he said as he gently closed the door behind him. He let out a breath that he didn't know he had been holding as soon as he walked out. It amazed him that when he was young, she was the one person that he needed to feel acceptance from. Hiko had always been kind to him, as much as a biological father would be towards his son, but her . . she had always given him the cold shoulder. He tried to gain her acceptance and acknowledgement by getting the best grades at school and behaving the best a young boy could, but it was to no avail.

There was no changing her mind.

To her, he would always be some vile boy that Hiko picked off the streets.

Kenshin smirked to himself. There was a period, a very long period of time in his life when he would have believed that statement. He turned around and began walking upstairs, making his way to his room. But as he got to the door, he thought about Kaoru and her mother.

She must miss her.

* * *

_Next morning_

_BEEP, BEEP, BEEP_

Kaoru moaned as she forced herself to get out of bed. She turned to look at the clock and saw that it was only 8:00 am. With a tired sigh, she picked up the receiver.

"Yes?"

"Get ready to go out . . . and the . . the weather's a little cold so dress warmly."

Kaoru widened her eyes when she heard Kenshin's words. "Y-yes, sir." She put down the receiver and a small smile appeared on her face as she remembered Kenshin's slightly abashed voice. Rolling out of bed she couldn't help but wonder where he wanted to go this early in the morning.

When Kaoru walked outside, a black sports car skid towards her and stopped right in front. The window on the passenger's side slowly rolled down.

"Hurry up and get in." Kenshin gestured towards her from the driver's seat.

Kaoru hesitatingly opened the car door and sat down.

The red-haired man smirked when he saw her expression. "Don't worry, I didn't fire the chauffeur. I just felt like driving today so you can erase that worried look from off of your face."

Kaoru nodded and felt a little relieved by his words. Kenshin looked at her face and a small, almost unnoticeable smile graced his lips. Studying her, he leaned over towards her. Feeling shocked by the close proximity, Kaoru quickly shrunk back as his face came closer.

"I'm confident in driving, but just in case . ."

Kenshin hesitated for a moment when he saw her reaction and then reached out his hand to put her seat belt on. Kaoru's face burned a fresh red hue when she realized that she had misjudged his actions. She glanced at him through the side of her eyes and for some reason, she felt that he looked . . different.

* * *

2_ hours later_

"Where did Himura-san go with his cell phone turned off?" Soujiro wondered aloud as he looked at the phone in his hands. He had already left ten messages on the phone.

"Why isn't he home?" Sanosuke asked while he came out of the kitchen with a glass of water in his hands.

"Himura left early in the morning," Aoshi replied.

"With jou-chan also?"

"Yes . ."

Sanosuke's shoulders drooped noticeably when he heard Aoshi's response. The other three in the room saw it, but didn't know what to say.

"Maybe they'll come back soon?" Misao interjected hopefully.

* * *

Kaoru turned her head and watched Kenshin driving down the long, winding road. He hadn't said a word about where they were going since they left the house. At that moment, Kenshin's eyes glanced towards Kaoru. She quickly turned her head away and looked out the window when her eyes met with his for that brief moment. Familiar scenery came into her view as she looked outside.

_It couldn't be . ._

Kaoru turned back to face Kenshin. A small smile spread on his lips as he felt her surprised gaze on him.

_If I'm right . .this road leads to . ._

From afar, the mental health clinic came into view. Tears began to brim around Kaoru's eyes as she realized that she would be able to see her mother again.

* * *

Kenshin leaned back against the car as he waited for Kaoru to come back with her mother. Minutes later, he saw her and a nurse come outside wheeling a woman towards him. A gleam of sorrow rose in his eyes for a moment as he looked at the scene before him. He stood up straight when they came within talking distance.

"This . . is my mother, sir."

A frigid ache suddenly developed in Kenshin's heart when he saw the forced smile on Kaoru's face as she introduced her mother. His violet eyes lingered on her for awhile before looking over at her mother. The woman that he saw in the wheelchair only bore a vague resemblance to the smiling and warm woman in the picture. If Kaoru had not introduced her as her mother, he may not have even recognized her. The woman's eyes that were bright and vibrant in the picture only seemed to look into empty space now.

Kaoru leaned over to her mom's ear and began whispering to her. "Mom . . I told you, right? This is the person that took . ."

"I'm Himura Kenshin . . . Kamiya-san's friend."

Kaoru froze as she stopped talking and looked over at him in surprise. Kenshin ignored her gaze and bent down on his knees so that he could be at eye-level with her mother.

"Until now, I've only brought your daughter pain. But from now on I will never hurt her or give her a hard time. I will take care of her. I promise." The young man softly embraced the mother's hand.

Kaoru lowered her head when she heard Kenshin's earnest words. Tears began to sting her eyes.

"Kaoru-san, it's getting a bit chilly out here. I think I should bring your mother back inside," the nurse said.

"Oh . .yes . .I'll take her in," Kaoru stuttered, still a bit taken aback by what Kenshin had said earlier. She grasped the handles of the wheelchair and turned it around towards the building. At that moment, she felt warmth around her shoulders. She turned around and saw that Kenshin had taken off his jacket and placed it over her. Kaoru looked up at him and saw that his lavender eyes were fixed on her own. They were trusting . . . and strong eyes. Kaoru slowly moved her gaze away from the red-haired man and carefully began wheeling her mother back inside the mental hospital.

-

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-

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- To be continued

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Thanks for reading and I'd be grateful if you would leave some feedback on this chapter. Sorry it took so long for me to update. I have to blame it partially on not working properly so I couldn't upload it in the first place. Anyway, I expect there to be only 4-6 chapters left for this story. I hope you'll all stay with me until the end.

Special Thanks to Eternal-Senshi-S, Ice Angel Kaoru, Atlas, MizzLee, flyingwithoutwings, Jade Catseye, Kaoru Gal, misakililin, Zackire, Mademoiselle Anime, kirie-kun, S3R3nity, KawaiiChica, moderndaybattousai, Ryoga, Reignashii, InuLimbo, El Capitan, Angel of lonelyness, rain angst, Nakashima-Michiyo, Brittanie Love, samuraduck27, Peachie-chan, The Hitokiri Battousai, kodaku, Katana Midori-Fading Shadow, JaneDrew, Mallory, RKfan86, Chibi Kiki, Kaleia, Angela Himura, erica6060, Anonymous T, nobody, Ochanoko, HitokiriSky, Mika, kimi.the.water.spirit, LegolasEstelstar, kik-ting, AngelsAngel, flaming-amber, Shizuka3, Vejitagurl, tintin-chan, Ookami-Hitomi, ;) britty, BabyKaoru-Sama, Yukipchan, tesuka-chan, F0X, nirada, psychotic-catster, AmayaSaria, shibichibi, ariel, vyki, Eden, De Lazy Lime, Lendra-chan, saotome, nicee, Darkygurl11, Spike-Faye, OniTokage, Mz. Amber Eyes, Coodle, Chin, Sakura22, Shenyu, kagome (Crazyperson), Amber Fyre Riddle-Snape, Guacamoli, cutie-chan-XD3, bonessasan, angelic-kuti, and cyjj for reviewing! Thanks so much for your support. ::passes out fish bones from Sano's private stash:: hehe


	24. Sapphires

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* * *

Disclaimer :** Rurouni Kenshin is the property of Nobuhiro Watsuki, Shonen Jump, Viz, and Sony Productions. 

**Author's Notes : **I'm terribly sorry for the lack of updates in the past few months. I hope you enjoy this chapter and you should expect the following final two installments to be posted soon. Thanks for reading this and staying with me until the end. I really have appreciated all your encouragement. Thank you so much again! ::hugs all her readers and Happy New Year 2005::

* * *

**Possession**

Donna8157

* * *

**­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­**

**Chapter 24 : Sapphires**

"Sir . . this is . ."

Kaoru abruptly looked over at Kenshin, who was at her side driving. This wasn't the way back towards the Seijuro estate. Where could he be going?

She watched and saw a small smile appeared on the young man's lips as he kept his eyes on the road ahead of them. The woman raised an amused eyebrow in response and turned to look outside the window once more. Seeing this entirely new side of Kenshin was a surprise to Kaoru. She didn't know what to think. Was this the same person? She remembered what the man had said to her mother at the time in the mental health clinic.

_"Until now, I've only brought your daughter pain. But from now on I will never hurt her or give her a hard time. I will take care of her. I promise."_

Did he mean it?

* * *

After another thirty minutes or so of driving, the two found themselves in the city once again on the streets of the Shijo shopping district. Kaoru found her eyes glued to the window. All the hustle and bustle of the people roaming the sidewalks with bags and boxes heightened her excitement. It had been so long since she had come to this area. It reminded her of the few times that her mother and her would come to the place to go shopping. Finally, the car came to a stop in front of a department store. 

Kaoru silently looked over at Kenshin, her eyes questioning why they were there.

Feeling her eyes on him, he turned around. A playful smirk appeared on the man's face as he looked at her. "What's wrong? Let's get out."

"Yes, sir . . but where are we going?"

The young man flinched a bit when he heard 'sir' once again. For some reason, the way she addressed him always felt like a sign of rejection. He sighed as he shook the feeling away. "Just leave today to me and try to fix the way you talk." Without giving her any more of a response, he unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car.

The girl nodded her head reluctantly and began to make her way outside. _Exactly what is he thinking?_, she wondered to herself.

Kenshin took a deep breath of air as he stepped outside. It had been a long time since he had felt this comfortable, this kind of freedom. He looked over at Kaoru who had just gotten out and a ghost of a smile played on his lips. He remembered the promise that he made Kaoru's mother. He meant it. He never wanted to cause her pain again.

Without saying a word, Kenshin grabbed Kaoru's hand and led her to the department store. The young woman was too shocked to say anything. When they walked inside, the first thing that Kenshin noticed was that everyone seemed to stare at them.

"Isn't that an Armani suit?" a voice whispered from the side.

"Who are they?" another person asked.

"Could they be famous?"

Kenshin looked down at his clothes and for the first time he realized how out of place the two of them seemed to be. He had never before worn anything other than a suit when going out of the house. And the fact that everyone else around them was donned in casual clothes made the two of them stand out more than usual.

Kaoru shrunk back a little as she felt all those piercing gazes upon her. It reminded her of the time when she had met Kenshin in the club, the night when she discovered just to what extent her father's debt would cost her. Her grip on Kenshin's hand loosened at the memory.

He looked at her in a questioning manner and gently squeezed her hands, thinking that she was intimidated by all the stares. Kaoru looked up at him as he did so and found herself dismissing her earlier thoughts. Then, Kenshin led her deeper within the store towards the clothing section and let go of her hand so that he could sift through the clothes. Soon afterwards, he picked out a light gray sweater and jeans.

"Try this on," he said.

Kaoru looked at the man, utterly confused by his actions. Awhile ago, Kenshin would have never allowed her to be seen wearing casual type clothing, but now he was taking her shopping to buy some? She hesitantly took the pair of jeans and sweater from his hands and walked to the dressing room.

As she got dressed, a thought crossed her mind. _Maybe he's changing?_ She shook her head at the absurd thought. Kaoru walked outside when she was fully changed. She looked at herself in the full-size mirror and smiled. Surprisingly, the outfit that Kenshin had picked out for her matched her very well. The soft gray color contrasted well against her raven-black hair and seemed to bring out her blue eyes.

"It looks good."

Kaoru's eyes widened and she abruptly turned around. She hadn't expected Kenshin to be standing behind her. But instead of responding, she found herself staring at him. Instead of the Armani suit he had been wearing previously, Kenshin was now in a dark blue cashmere knit sweater and khakis. He looked unexpectedly good in these kinds of clothes. It gave off a different feeling from when he wore the suit or school uniform.

Meanwhile, Kenshin stood in front of the mirror and stared at himself, feeling a little awkward at his new look. He wasn't quite sure if he liked it or not, but when he looked up and saw the bright expression on Kaoru's face through the reflection in the mirror, he smiled. _Maybe wearing these casual clothes wouldn't be so bad after all_, he affirmed.

Kenshin decided that they would wear the clothes that they had tried on for the rest of the day so that they wouldn't stand out in the crowd like before. While paying for it, he noticed that Kaoru's mood had lightened noticeably since earlier that morning. For some reason, he felt incredibly elated when seeing that. Kenshin took her hand and then headed towards a small accessory shop across the street.

He snuck a glance at her through the corner of his eyes as they walked into the store. _What would she like? A necklace or a ring?_, he wondered to himself. Kenshin looked through the glass casings at the impressive array of diamonds, rubies, and other precious gems. His lavender eyes finally fixated upon a pair of sapphire earrings.

_Beautiful_, he thought to himself. The jewels reminded him of Kaoru's blue eyes.

"May I help you, sir?" An older woman with curly dark hair and a bright smile greeted them from behind the counter.

"Yes, I'd like to see this," Kenshin said as he pointed to the pair of earrings behind the glass case.

The saleslady saw what he was pointing to and widened her eyes in surprise. "Oh, you have good taste, sir. This is quite a rare one. There were only two pairs of these earrings made and this happens to be the very last one left." She carefully took out the earrings and placed them on the counter.

Kenshin picked one up and placed it against Kaoru's ear. It suited her well, even better than he had imagined.

"Oh my! It looks very nice on her. These earrings are for her I presume?" the woman said with a knowing smile.

"Yes," Kenshin said as he smiled in satisfaction.

Kaoru looked at him in surprise and shook her head. She couldn't accept such an expensive gift. "No . . no, sir. I . ."

"It's nothing. It's a gift so just accept it."

". . . ."

"Hmm . . you'll have to get your ears pierced. Don't worry, it'll only sting for a second."

The woman at the counter smiled reassuringly. "Yes, don't worry, dear. It will only take a second to do. Please come this way." She gestured towards the seat near the back of the store and Kaoru made her way there and sat on the stool. She wasn't sure what to do, she didn't want such an expensive gift but she had no say because of Kenshin's obstinacy.

After the two of them left the store, Kenshin looked at the sapphire that now adorned her ear. "Are you okay?"

Kaoru who had been lost in her own thoughts hadn't heard him. "Excuse me?"

Kenshin pointed to the earring.

"Oh . . it just stings a little, sir."

The man grimaced as he heard her response. "I told you to fix the way you talk."

". . . . ."

Kenshin sighed sadly when he saw that she wasn't going to respond. Maybe it was too much to ask of her so soon. He started to walk faster as he felt a little dispirited. "Let's go. I have one more place I want to show you."

* * *

"Where is Himura-san? He couldn't possibly have forgotten could he?" Soujiro fretted as he looked at his watch for the hundredth time that day. 

"It's possible if it's Himura," Aoshi remarked.

Soujiro looked over at Sanosuke who sat on the couch with his eyes blankly staring at the television in front of him. Sanosuke's mood had been down ever since his confession with Kaoru and there was nothing that Soujiro could do to cheer him up. And the fact that Kenshin had taken Kaoru out in the morning and may have forgotten their get well party for Kaoru only seemed to make it worse.

_Ding Dong_

Misao widened her eyes as she sat up in her seat. "Could it be Kaoru-san?" she whispered aloud.

Sanosuke came out of his trance and quickly got up to open the door. His heartbeat quickened at the thought of seeing her again after that day. He hastily unlatched the lock and opened the door.

"It took you long enough to open the door, rooster-head."

A hint of disappointment shone in Sanosuke's brown eyes when he saw it was Megumi, but he quickly hid it with a smile. "It's nice of you to come, Megumi."

Megumi looked at him suspiciously. Usually Sanosuke would return her jabs with his own, but for some reason he didn't seem to be that energetic lately. Even that time when she saw him on the street the other day, he seemed to be depressed.

"Oh Takani-san, I didn't know that you were coming," Soujiro greeted from within the living room.

Megumi smiled. "I met this rooster-head yesterday while running an errand and he told me about Kaoru-san's party." She paused to look at her watch. "Although . . I thought I was going to be late. Is Kaoru-san not here yet?"

Soujiro's smile faltered. "No, Kamiya-san isn't here yet. Apparently, Himura-san took her out in the morning."

Megumi raised an eyebrow, amused by the prospect that the Himura Kenshin could possibly have a love interest in the patient from before. "I see."

Sanosuke clenched his hands together and grimaced when he heard the implications behind Megumi's suggestive tones. It wasn't possible, was it?

* * *

"There it is." 

Kaoru looked towards where Kenshin was pointing. Her eyes widened with pleasant surprise. It was a dojo. Students both young and old were going in and out of the building dressed in a dark blue gi and hakama. Even from the outside, they could hear the loud cheering and applause of the audience and the sharp clashing of wood on wood. Kaoru's heartbeat quickened in excitement, there was possibly a tournament going on inside. They walked into the dojo and were greeted with sounds of different matches going on at the moment.

"Men!" Someone from the floor yelled.

_Clap clap clap_

"Let's find a seat," Kenshin suggested as he took her hand in his.

Kaoru nodded her head in agreement and they pushed through the crowds of people until they found a seat close enough to the main floor where the opponents were fighting one another. As Kaoru watched the match, she found herself reminiscing about the matches that both her father and her would have in their own dojo a long time ago. A small smile crept up on her face as she thought about it. Her father was always harsh on her when it came to kendo, but it definitely paid off in the end when she was able to win against the other students almost effortlessly.

Her smile faltered instantly as she remembered what her position was. Her gaze flickered over to Kenshin who was sitting next to her. Now that she was with him, would it be possible to ever do kendo again?

Feeling her eyes on him, Kenshin looked over, his lavender eyes displaying both happiness and excitement at watching the matches. "Is something wrong?"

"No, sir . ."

Kenshin studied her face and an idea came across his mind. "My father has a training area in one of the lower levels of our house. You're welcome to use it, Kamiya."

Kaoru widened her eyes in disbelief. "Really?"

Kenshin chuckled. "Yes."

The two of them turned their attention back to watching the match. Time passed by quickly and soon the tournament was down to its final matches. As Kaoru sat and watched, she remembered the time when Kenshin had fought the kendo teacher at camp. She looked over at him. "That time at camp . . why did you let the teacher win?" Kaoru asked, her questioning blue eyes looking into Kenshin's violet ones.

The young man stopped, surprised that she initiated a conversation. As he processed the question in his mind, a small playful smirk came across his lips. "You noticed?"

Kaoru nodded her head.

"You're better trained in kendo than I thought. The average person would not have seen it."

When the young woman heard his comment, she couldn't help but feel her cheeks heat up a little.

"That time at camp, if the teacher had lost against a student such as me, wouldn't it have looked badly upon him? If I had won, the class wouldn't have taken the teacher seriously."

"Oh." She furrowed her brows as she remembered what had happened that time. The answer was so obvious, yet she didn't see it. The thought that Himura Kenshin would actually concede to someone had just seemed out of the question to her at the time.

It was then that a group of older kendoists came to sit next to her. She felt one of them eyeing her and she unconsciously shifted closer to Kenshin. The other man beamed menacingly as he looked at the young woman.

"Wow, you're real pretty. If I win a match for you, would you give me a kiss?"

Kaoru jerked her head up quickly at the unexpected voice and found herself looking at an older kendo student who was smiling rather lewdly at her. The man was about to reach out and touch her hair when Kenshin grabbed his wrist and glared at him.

"Don't even think about touching her."

The other man broke away from Kenshin's vice grip and turned around, his face flushed with anger. "What the hell? Are you saying that you own her hair or something?"

Kenshin's jaw tightened and he clenched his hand into a strong fist. It seemed as if he would attack the other man at any second.

Kaoru was shocked by Kenshin's reaction and quickly went over to block him. "I'm sorry. He's in a bad mood, please understand," she apologized to the other. She hastily got up and grabbed onto Kenshin's hand and began to pull him out of the place. With a dumbfounded look, the other man stared at the both of them as they walked away.

When the two of them left the main area, Kaoru quickly let go of Kenshin's hand. She was about to ask him whether or not he was okay when she saw that he quickened his pace and began walking ahead of her. She bit her lower lip and decided to catch up to him. "Oof." The young woman had been so lost in her thoughts that she didn't watch where she was going and had accidentally run into another person. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's all right," the other replied.

Kaoru looked up and noticed how tall the other man was in comparison to her. But before she could give it any more thought, she remembered that Kenshin was already a few paces ahead of her. She gave a quick bow to the person she had run into and hurried off.

The other man stood there blankly and stared at Kaoru's figure which was quickly becoming more and more distant. White face, blue eyes, long raven-black hair. There was something about her.

"Hey Yukishiro-sempai!!" someone called from afar. "Why are you so late?"

Enishi turned around with a slightly surprised look on his face. He seemed to have forgotten where he was for a moment. A small smile appeared on his face as he saw another younger boy run towards him. "Aha . . sorry about that, Yahiko."

"Your match is next. Are you ready?"

"Of course."

* * *

When the two of them finally got inside the car, Kaoru felt herself release a breath that she hadn't known she had been holding.

"Sorry."

Kaoru looked over at Kenshin in surprise. She hadn't expected for him to apologize. "No, it's all right, sir."

"I was trying to make you feel better, but . ."

". . . I had fun today. Thank you, sir." Kenshin turned his head when he heard Kaoru's upbeat voice. The smile on her face came into his view. He couldn't believe it. She was smiling at him. It was a smile towards him and not another person.

"R-really? I'm glad you had a good time." A bright smile filled Kenshin's face and that smile stayed on his face throughout the entire drive back home.

* * *

_The next day at school_

Soujiro stood next to the Kenshin's locker and waited for him to arrive to school. Yesterday had been a disaster. The main guest of the party never showed up and no one was able to get a hold of Kenshin. Soujiro frowned at the memory. It was then that he saw a familiar red-headed figure walking down the hall.

"Himura-san!"

Kenshin who had been in a blissful state since yesterday looked up in shock at the unwelcome sound. He wondered why the other seemed to be so upset.

"Do you remember what yesterday was?" Soujiro narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms as he waited for a response.

"Yesterday?"

"Yes. Yesterday, Himura-san."

"Yesterday was . ." A thought suddenly crossed Kenshin's mind and his face grew pale. _Kaoru's party. _He looked over at Soujiro sheepishly. "Ah, Soujiro . ."

"It looks like you remember now."

Kenshin scratched the back of his head guiltily. "Sorry, I forgot."

Soujiro's blue eyes flared. "Forget, Himura-san? Do you know how much trouble both Sagara-san and I went through by getting everything ready? We tried calling you, but couldn't even get a hold of you. Why did you have your cell phone turned off? Both Makimachi-san and Shinomori-san informed us that you went out early in the morning. It's almost as if you had everything planned. What is going on?"

". . . ."

Seeing that Kenshin wasn't going to respond, Soujiro shook his head. "Forget it, Himura-san. I don't want to know what kind of excuses you will come up with."

At that moment, Soujiro saw Kaoru come towards them. She looked different that day, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was.

"Good morning, Kamiya-san," the boy said with a bright smile.

"Hello, sir."

Right then, he noticed something shining around Kaoru's ear. He leaned in closer. "Did you get your ears pierced, Kamiya-san?" As he examined it further, he saw that it was a bright sapphire gem. "It's pretty."

Kaoru blushed. "Thank you, sir."

"It really fits you. Where did you buy it at?"

"A jewelry store at Shinjiko," Kenshin answered for her.

Soujiro looked over at Kenshin. "Shinjiko Shopping District? Hmm. . ." The blue-eyed man looked back at the earring adorning Kaoru's ear. His eyes widened slightly in understanding. _Kamiya-san couldn't afford such lavish jewelry. Then Himura-san must have . ._

Soujiro looked back at Kenshin in disbelief. "Did you . . buy this for Kamiya-san?" He watched his friend's reaction steadily and saw a soft smile pass by his face.

* * *

_After school_

"Have you heard anything I've said, Soujiro?" Sanosuke groaned, tapping his fingers on the ledge of the table.

"Huh?" Soujiro who was sitting absent-mindedly on the sofa, woke up from his thoughts. He looked over at his friend and saw that he seemed to be waiting for an answer.

"What are you thinking about?" the other pressed when he saw the contemplating look on Soujiro's face.

"I . . umm . . nothing, Sagara-san. What did you say earlier?" A masked smile came in place again.

"When did they say they were going to come?"

"Ah . . Himura-san said that they would be here around seven."

Sanosuke looked up at the clock on the opposite wall. It was 6:50. "They'll be here soon then." He got up and went to the kitchen to prepare the food.

Soujiro watched Sanosuke silently from the living room.

_Earlier that day_

_Soujiro approached Kenshin and pulled him aside as soon as the classes ended. He wasn't sure exactly what the red-headed man was up to, but he didn't want to see Kaoru get hurt again. _

_"Himura-san, what are your feelings towards Kamiya-san?" Soujiro's blue eyes searched his friend's lavender ones to see what his response would be. To his surprise, Kenshin didn't flinch nor did he look away._

_"I can't sum up all of my feelings for her with just one word. I just know that I want to take care of her. I want to make her happy. Even when I look at her, I can't control the happiness that rises inside. I want to protect her and be able to embrace her. I want to give back that joyful smile on her face again. This isn't just a fleeting feeling and it isn't out of curiosity. I want to stay true to the feelings I have now for her. I won't ever hurt her again._

_I just want to be with her."_

_"Himura-san." Soujiro looked at him, stunned by his response. It was the first time he heard Kenshin express his feelings with such sincerity. _

_"The path that I chose, I don't care how other people will look at it, but I want to do this no matter what the outcome will be in the end. I will never regret my decision to be with her."_

_Hearing his words, Soujiro was at a loss for what to say. Kenshin's lavender eyes displayed such genuineness and firm will. Every word that flowed out from his mouth was expressing his feelings towards Kaoru. He was completely serious._

_Click_

Soujiro blinked when he saw that all the lights were suddenly turned off. He looked towards the side and saw Sanosuke come in with a cake balanced within his hands.

"How is it?" Even though it was dark, Soujiro could see that Sano's smile looked sad.

"It looks good, Sagara-san," he said, a little too cheerfully.

Sanosuke set down the cake on the table and sat down. "It's too bad that Misao and Aoshi couldn't make it today."

"Yes . . ."

". . . ."

"Umm . . . Sagara-san . ." Soujiro called hesitantly. He wasn't sure whether or not he should forewarn his friend about Kenshin and Kaoru. How would Sano take it?

"You don't need to say anything, Soujiro. I don't like these kinds of awkward moods either." Sano opened his mouth as if he knew how the other felt. Except for lunch time at school, that day was going to be the first time that he was going to see Kaoru again. He was nervous, but he firmly made up his mind to treat Kaoru the way he always used to . . . as a friend.

And nothing more.

He clenched his hands together as his head drooped down. But if it would make her comfortable, it was the least that he could do.

_Ding dong_

"Ara? They must be here already," Soujiro announced as he got up out of the couch. Sanosuke looked up from the chair and towards the entrance. His heart was beating so quickly that he thought it would burst.

_Click_

"You go in first," Kenshin said as he motioned for Kaoru to walk inside. The blue-eyed woman nodded and slowly opened the door to step in.

" . . . ?"

All Kaoru saw was darkness around her. She was about to ask Kenshin what was going on when she heard a loud noise.

_Pop! Pop!_

Kaoru jumped a little at the sudden, sharp sound.

"It's a little late, but congratulations on your release from the hospital, Kamiya-san." Soujiro smiled brightly as he looked at her.

Kaoru blushed and returned his smile. Then she looked to the side and saw Sanosuke with a large cake in his hands. There was a large grin on his face as he welcomed her. She smiled back while the other two stood to the side and clapped.

". . Thank you." She felt indescribably grateful towards them and her eyes began to fill with tears. Even in her situation, she was able to make such wonderful friends. Kaoru looked up at Sano who was now only a few mere inches away from her and her heart ached. As she looked at him, his smile faltered slightly and his mask fell. Even though it was for a moment, she saw the tinge of pain in his brown eyes, but there was nothing she could do about it.

Sano saw the look in her eyes and quickly dismissed it. He didn't want her to feel any pity for him. "Hurry up and blow the candles out, jou-chan. You don't want the wax to melt onto the cake," he chided playfully so to dissipate the awkward mood between them.

Kaoru swallowed back her thoughts and blew out the candles.

"Great!" Sano exclaimed, setting down the cake. After turning on the lights, he walked towards the cupboards in the kitchen and took out a few glasses. "We have to have a drink on such a good day like this! Don't you agree, Soujiro?" The other man looked over at his friend and flashed a smile.

"Yeah . . yeah . . of course." Soujiro saw that Sano was trying to act cheerful in front of Kaoru and could only feel sympathy for him. _He's going to find out about Himura-san and Kamiya-san sooner or later . . _

Sanosuke brought over the drinks and the four of them sat around the table and lifted their glasses in the air. "Cheers!"

Before Kaoru could bring the glass up to her mouth, Kenshin leaned over and whispered to her. "You don't have to drink if you don't want."

Soujiro watched the two of them, surprised by the action. He shot a quick glance at Sanosuke and to his relief saw that the other was occupied with his wine glass and most likely did not see what had happened. As the time ticked on, the blue-eyed man began to feel edgy about the situation. He wondered when Sano would find out.

"Sagara-san, would you mind getting me another drink?" Soujiro asked pleasantly, hoping to break the cumbersome tension in the room.

Sanosuke grinned. "Sure." He got up and made his way to the kitchen once more. As he was pouring the wine into the glass, his thoughts shifted back to Kaoru. It was becoming harder and harder to pretend as if nothing had happened between them. His heart was aflame with rampant feelings and he didn't know what to do about it. He told himself hundreds if not thousands of times after his confession that he shouldn't be like this. That he shouldn't feel that way about her. But the more he did that, his feelings for Kaoru only seemed to grow.

_What's wrong with me?_, he berated himself. _Snap out of it, Sagara! _

"Sagara-san, are you okay there?" Soujiro called out from the living room.

Sano snapped out of his thoughts. "Yeah," he called back.

He came out of the kitchen a few seconds later with Soujiro's drink in his hand. "Here you go, Soujiro."

"Thanks, Sagara-san. I was afraid that you were back there drinking all that was left." Soujiro said good-naturedly.

Sano laughed. But as he laughed, he felt his eyes moving towards Kaoru's direction. Almost as if it were natural for him to do so. Right then, he saw something shining behind her hair. He squinted his eyes slightly and saw that it was an earring. A sapphire earring. The color went well with her.

"Jou-chan . . your earring."

As the words spilled forth from Sano's lips, Soujiro felt himself cringe mentally. The time had finally come.

"It's pretty . . . it looks good."

"Thank you, sir."

After a long pause, Sano moved onto a different topic and started to talk again. He tried to talk as calmly as possible, but for some reason he was struggling with it. When Kenshin and Kaoru finally left, Sanosuke weakly collapsed onto the couch. His shoulders slumped forward and his head drooped down. Soujiro carefully sat on the edge of the sofa and looked at him not knowing what to say to comfort him. A resulting heavy silence blanketed the room.

"I . . . I knew about it," Sanosuke started, his eyes looking down at his hands.

". . . . ?"

"Kaoru and Kenshin . . . . I vaguely felt it, but . . but I saw it clearly today." He looked up from his hands and at Soujiro who sat next to him.

"S-Sagara-san. . ."

Sanosuke threw his head back and laughed. "Ha, it's obvious. The way that Kenshin and Kaoru have been . . you think I wouldn't have noticed it by now?" He smiled bitterly as he looked at his friend and then lowered his head.

"Kaoru . . Kaoru's going to be happy, right?"

". . She will be . ."

Soujiro gently pulled Sano's shoulder and hugged him. Soujiro's clothes that Sano's face was touching slowly began to get damp. After a few minutes, Sanosuke looked up and wiped away his remaining tears. A small smile appeared on his face as he turned towards his friend.

"You better not tell anyone about this, Soujiro," he threatened playfully.

Soujiro grinned. "Of course not, Sagara-san."

* * *

Kaoru's mood wasn't as cheerful as before on the way home. Sanosuke had always been energetic and friendly in front of her. Because he had acted like nothing had happened at the party, she was able to forget about the day he confessed. She looked over at Kenshin and a sad air came over her. _Can I be happy knowing that someone is in pain because of me? _

Feeling that something was wrong, Kenshin looked over at the girl and lightly took her hand in his own. As she felt the warmth of his touch, she smiled.

* * *

_The next day at school_

Kenshin looked at his watch and began walking towards the rooftop. Earlier that day, Sanosuke confronted him and told him that he wanted to meet him after class. He had an idea of what the meeting was going to be about. When he opened the door, he found Sano leaning against the wall. His ruffian type hair was even more disheveled than usual and his arms were crossed with his head down. He had changed a lot since he first came to Kyoto.

Kenshin watched his friend with sympathy. They had been the best of friends before Kaoru and now they seemed to be torn apart.

As the minutes passed, Kenshin saw that Sano wasn't going to say anything and so he decided to talk first. "What is it that you want to say to me?"

". . ." Sanosuke looked up at the other man blankly, unable to put his thoughts into adequate enough words.

"Sano . ." Kenshin said with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"Kaoru . ." the other murmured in a low voice. Kenshin's anger immediately dissipated while he waited for the other to continue.

Sanosuke looked levelly into Kenshin's lavender eyes and spoke in a calm and serious voice. "If you bother or hurt Kaoru, I won't forgive you. Remember that."

". . ." Kenshin looked down, feeling sympathetic to the other man. _Sano . . you like her. _

The spiky-haired man frowned when he saw that Kenshin wasn't answering. "Why aren't you answering?" he pressed.

The other man looked up at him and with a resolute look on his face responded. "Nothing like that will happen. I won't ever hurt her again. If indeed that does happen, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself."

Sanosuke saw the confidence and gravity of his words in his eyes and smiled softly. "All right, I hope that feeling won't change."

"It won't," he said firmly.

Sano grinned and lightly hit the other in the shoulder in a friendly manner. "That's good. That's all I want to know." He shoved his hands in his pockets and opened the door. For some reason, hearing Kenshin say those words made him feel a little better.

As he walked down the stairs, he heard the click of the door from the bottom.

"Jou-chan . ." Sanosuke stopped as he saw her make her way upstairs.

Kaoru saw him and her eyes shifted to her feet. "Hello, sir."

Sano smiled. "Oi, didn't I tell you that 'sir' makes me uncomfortable? How many times do I have to tell you that?"

The woman bit her lower lip as she searched for something to say.

Sanosuke sighed and shook his head. "Well, if you're looking for Kenshin, he'll be coming in a second." He gestured behind him and then began to continue to walk further downstairs.

As Kaoru felt him pass by her, she turned around on her heels. "Sagara-san!"

Sanosuke stopped in his tracks and turned around, surprised by her sudden outburst.

Saddened blue eyes looked at him. "Sagara-san, I'm really . . I'm really sorry." Kaoru clenched her hands together in front of her as she faced him.

Sano smiled reassuringly. "As long as you're happy, jou-chan. That's what matters."

Kaoru smiled back.

"You know," Sano started, "it goes really well with you."

". . . ?"

"That earring . . Kenshin has good taste." _I know by seeing that he has chosen you. _The spiky-haired man gazed at the young woman's face for a moment longer before turning back.

-

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- To be continued

* * *

**Added Notes about Chapter : **

1.) Shijo Street Shopping - The area from the river west to Karasuma-dori, roughly bordered by Shijo-dori (4th Street) and Oike-dori is where Kyoto's main shopping streets are located. In addition to the great department stores and the enormous number of small shops and specialty stores, there are major arcades. The arcades are covered roads from which cars and vehicles are banned - making it easy to walk and window shop regardless of the weather. The covered arcades are on Kyogoku-dori and Shinkyogoku-dori between Shijo-dori and Sanjo-dori (4th and 3rd Streets) as well as in Teramachi-dori between Shijo-dori and Oike-dori.

**Special Thanks to **Via x Inifinito, Mz. Amber Eyes, Nekotsuki, psychotic-catster, ;) Britty, misakililin, Amber Fyre Riddle-Snape, cyjj, InuLimbo, Coodle, Crazyperson, Vic'chonn, Sakura22, sugar-crazy-Fox, samuraiduck27, Mademoiselle Anime, Ryu Sachiko Sama, A Fading Shadow, The Hitokiri Battousai, De Lazy Lime, rain angst, Chibi Kiki, nobody, erica6060, Mallory, Paleah, Angel of loneliness, Anonymous T, kimi.the.water.spirit, kik-ting, baka katsuko, Reignashii, animemistress419, BabyKaoru-Sama, bonessasan, Sagitarious Devil, Mi-nyan, andy, Peachie-Chan, Yukipchan, Tenshi-no-Hana-chan, Vanna Chance, steelphoenix, flaming-amber, KensDragonet, Jupiter's Light, kodaku, tintin-chan, Hiei's.punk.rocker.girl, Darkygurl11, Oni Tokage, AmayaSaria, Shizuka3, amrita, Jen, Zackire, ????, Kapn-san, Danny, legolasEstelstar, angelic-kuti, MizzLee, Nakashima-Michiyo, Ookami-chi, Raeyn-chan, misumi kanegawa, SkyFairy77, S3R3nity, urban-chica, Videl621, Falconess106, Kairi7, Guacamoli, Midi Tenshi, Kaida Mai, flyingwithoutwings, Deseray, cocovanilla, avid RK reader, shadow61x, YukiMatsuzaka411, laku, Scented Candles, Kool Kid, karou-ken, Crystal Winds, blahblah6, and princess-oro. ::thanks so much and Happy New Year! passes out Sanosuke headbands::


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